Everything Stays
by XxApplexFrostxX
Summary: Hello. My name is Eleanor Tang Shen Hamato. My life has been anything but normal. Born with extraordinary gifts, my best friend being hunted down by aliens, fighting a ghost of my past and all of this started happening when I met four Mutant Turtles and their sensei. What secrets will this unveil? Based on the 2012 series. (LeoXOCXRaph. DonnieXApril.)
1. Rise of the Turtles Prt 1

Rise of the Turtles Prt 1.

 **~Eleanor's POV.~**

 _ **-Beep- -Beep- -Bee-**_

Everyday is the same routine. Wake up from my alarm, get ready for school, feed my pet alligator lizard, the whole shebang. I sat up from my sleeping form. My hair in a large mess, indicating I had the same dream again. _*Sigh*_ Third time this week.

I got out of my bed and struggled my way to the bathroom, to start my morning routine. I tiredly brushed my teeth and washed my face. I stared at the mirror and saw a blurred image of a ghostly pale person. I wasn't wearing my glasses. I found my glasses on the counter and put them on.

I looked again and saw a ghostly pale Caucasian-American girl, with short ravenette hair with blue and violet streaks, and amber-brown eyes. I checked her teeth. She had small fangs and a cute gap in the middle of her upper central incisors. The whole inside of her mouth, tongue and uvular, were shades of light blue.

Around her eyes, I saw very dark rings, indicating years of no sleep or crying. I've been crying in my sleep again. I definitely had that dream again.

Oh, forgive me. **はじめまして**. (Hajimemashite/Nice to meet you.) My name is Eleanor Tang Shen Hamato. But, my friends call me Ellie or Elle. I'm 14 years old and I'm just your normal high school student from New York.

Well, I'm not really. No one is actually normal, are they? I'm of Japanese descent, although it's hard to see. And I'm the youngest of two daughters. Well, the only daughter now.

You wanna know about my dream? Well, okay. It's like every time I have this dream.

I'm at a garden house, in Tokyo. It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. A man passes by me. He turns to apologize, then leaves. He looked like my uncle. Inside the house, I meet a woman. She was very beautiful and very kind. In her arms was a baby girl. She looked just like her mother.

After meeting the woman, everything started going downhill. The house caught fire and collapsed. The woman died in the collapsed house. The baby taken away by a shadowed figure. The man survived, but depressed by his loss. Finally, everything around me goes black.

Once everything cleared, I find myself in an alley of New York. In front of me are four boys, wearing different colors, brothers by the look of them. They were always in the same order; blue, red, purple and orange. Behind me is a tall man in metallic armor. I couldn't see their faces, but I still remember the boys as clear as day. I wonder why.

The boy in blue reaches out his hand to me. I felt like I could trust him and his brothers. As I begin to move, the man begins to dash toward me. I wake up as soon as I touch the boy's hand, and the man got his claws on me.

Anyway, back to my life. I got dressed into my casual wear, which consisted of an dark green, short sleeved hoodie over a long-sleeved shirt with webbed sleeves. Black and white striped fingerless gloves. A leather choker with a turtle locket pendant. Black khaki pants. Leg braces with a corrective belt and dark grey sneakers.

I wear leg braces because I was born with very weak legs. Similar to Vorlik's Syndrome, but my bones are not hollow.

I walked into my room and turned on my pet lizard's heat lamp.

My pet baby lizard Mulan, is a four month old Texas Alligator Lizard. I named her after one of my heroes, the Chinese legend Hua Mulan.

I saved her from a protest rally in Central Park three months ago. I know alligator lizards are not meant to be in New York. Must've been destiny or something.

"Good morning, Mulan. Did you sleep well?" I called and asked.

Esther opened her eyes, looked at me and licked her lips, as if she was greeting me and asking me for breakfast.

I smiled, "Okay. Give me one second." I walked over to my closet and got a small tub of Esther's favorite meal; meal worms and crickets.

I gave Mulan five crickets, a small handful of the worms, and she began picking on them, one by one.

I envied Mulan. Being part of nature and not needing to be judged by any form of characteristics. It must feel very peaceful. In the animal world, there's no such thing as war. Yet, there is in humanity.

I sat on my bed and opened the turtle-shaped locket. It placed a sad and peaceful tune. My family on one side, and my uncle's family on the other.

* * *

( **A/N: The tune was Davy Jones' theme is Music Box.** )

* * *

I'll tell you about it some other time. It's too painful to talk about it right now. My train of thought was broken by my father's voice.

"Eleanor! Breakfast is ready." He called.

Well, Kirby O'Neil is not really my father. But, he behaves like one to me. He was a childhood friend of my real father. He's looking after me, while my father works on my mother and older sister's murder case.

I really don't want to talk about what happened that day. Too many bad memories and it's too painful. But, I was really glad Father is still alive and well. But, he's hardly home, due to his job.

I got my school stuff into my backpack and made my way to the dining room. Kirby's biological daughter, April, was already in the dinning room, sitting next to my favorite chair.

April is very distinctive from me. She is a 16 year old Caucasian girl with natural ginger hair, which she ties in a ponytail with a headband, and light blue eyes. She wore her casual, yellow shirt, short, denim shorts, black leggings and brown boots.

Kirby placed a plate in front of me and April. On my plate was waffles with strawberries. April just had toast with jam.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Girls? Tonight, I thought that I'd treat you all out to a movie. Now, the movie is gonna be a surprise, so you'll have to wait till after school." Kirby spoke up and announced to us.

"That sounds great, Dad." April smiled.

I smiled as well, then something came to me, "What's the occasion, Kirby?"

Kirby smiled, "Oh nothing much. Just that I'm gonna get my promotion today."

April smiled, squealed in joy and hugged Kirby, while I just smiled. I should explain. Kirby O'Neil is an assistant psychologist. He's been working really hard to earn this promotion; full-on psychologist. It's the next level to his dream career; A psychiatric professor.

April and I finished our breakfast, got our backpacks and made our way to school. The moment we leave the apartment, I couldn't help but feel that we're being watched. I try to shrug it off and not look behind me.

But, the feeling just kept growing until we left the building. After that, it just melts away. It's probably my paranoia problems, or the fact that I feel uncomfortable when in an empty hallway. Eh, you never know, right?

Half-way to school, April and I walked past an alley, and I couldn't help but look over. It was very creepy. I saw shadows, and the boys from my dream, standing over a manhole. The boy in blue reached out his hand to me again.

The tension vanished as soon as April spoke up, "Ellie, are you feeling alright?"

I looked at April, "Yeah. I'm fine."

"Did you see something?" She asked.

I looked at the alley again and it was empty. The boys were not there and a small grey sewer rat just scurried by.

"I thought I just saw... Never mind." I said, shaking my head, then continued down the road to school.

April looked at the alley herself, then followed me.

Maybe I should explain, I'm not really like everyone else. I was born with very strange abilities. Cool, but strange. Like, I'm able to sense and feel the emotions of people around me. Such as anger, sadness, guilt, happiness and love.

I have eidetic memory. Which means I can recall anything that I've seen, heard or touched since I was two. I have dreams that, after a few days or weeks, come true.

To keep track of my dreams, I always carry one of my many sketchpads with me. I call them Dreampads.

And I'm able to understand animals, like they're talking English to me.

I can do other things, but I'm better off showing you than telling. By now, I can tell you don't believe me.

Anywho, back to my day at school.

The day at school went by quite quickly. Classes weren't boring, like they were yesterday. During art class, I resumed my sketch on the boys in my dream. I was able to see their eyes this time.

The boy in blue had sapphire eyes.

The boy in red had green eyes that can glow in the dark.

The boy in purple had red, nearly maroon-ish eyes.

And the boy in orange had baby blue eyes.

The colors began to feel like they give out distinctive personalities. I wonder why...

Recess was fun and everyone minded their own business. I think it was because next week was Spring Break. Everyone was talking about what they were gonna do for the holiday. But, I don't have any plans for such an occasion. Just practice my free-running skills and ninjutsu.

You heard right. I know ninjutsu. I've been learning since I was four years old, by one of the best martial arts masters my mother could find; Miyamoto Usagi. He was my mother's childhood friend, along my uncle. And he's not like everyone else. How? Believe it, or not, he's an anthropomorphic white rabbit samurai.

Crazy, right? But I didn't mind.

Aside from April, Miyamoto-Sensei was the first friend I ever had. Well, real friend anyway. I used to have an imaginary friend, when I was little.

I met my friend when I was only 4, before I started training with Miyamoto-Sensei. I got lost during a family shopping day and I was crying on the streets, nearby a sewer grate. I heard a voice, which helped me feel better, and I began speaking to it.

I never learned my childhood friend's name. Neither did I see its face. All I saw were a pair of sapphire eyes and a gentle voice. He stopped coming when I turned 10.

Miyamoto-Sensei taught me everything he knew about the art of self-defence. However, he died a year before my family did.

The same men, that killed my mother, came to the dojo, asking Sensei about something secret. Sensei refused, fought back and ended up getting killed by the man in armor.

I still remember the clan emblem on the men's backs when they killed my teacher.

A few weeks before he died, Sensei told me that if anything would happen to him, I will find a new teacher, a friend that he grew up with.

His description of his friend was; "A man with wisdom you cannot see."

Then, in my arms, with his last breathe, Sensei whispered a name in my ear; "Hamato Yoshi."

Hamato Yoshi was my uncle. My mother's older brother. My mother used to tell me that he died a long time ago.

After school was finished, I walked alongside April home and entered my room to do my homework.

I'm very smart for my age and was able to finish my homework. Heck, I skipped pre-school, kindergarten and three grades of elementary school.

I finished my homework just before one of my favorite shows was about to start; Space Heroes. Call me a geek all you want. I like the show and I'm free to my own opinions.

I jumped onto my bed and switched on the T.V. Space Heroes was on and I watched intensely, as the galactic ship was under attack.

"Mr. Crenshaw, status report!" The main protagonist, Captain Ryan, requested of the Second in Command, Mr. Crenshaw.

"Status? I'll give you the status! We're gonna blow up in two seconds!" Crenshaw answered on the verge of a mental breakdown. Captain Ryan smacked Crenshaw across the face, knocking some sense into him. "Thank you, Captain." Crenshaw thanked, relieved.

"Gentlemen, I have a bold and daring plan. There's no time for hesitation. My orders must be carried out without question!" Captain Ryan said boldly and heroically.

"Aye, sir!" The crewmates answered in full trust of the Captain.

I smiled at the character's actions. Shame I'm the only one who likes the show. Oh well. To each his own.

After the show was over and gave Mulan her supper, I heard a knock on my door.

"Ellie, are you watching that silly show again? Come on, it's movie time!" I heard April's voice from the other side.

I quickly switched off the TV, put my homework in my desk and put my shoes on.

I opened the door and April was waiting at the doorway.

"Took you long enough." April joked with a smile.

I lightly giggled. We made our way down the stairs and Kirby was waiting by the entrance.

"Ready to go?" He asked.

Both of us nodded in answer. With that said and done, we made our way downtown.

It was nightfall, when we got downtown. The city was beautiful at night. The streetlights and neon signs made the place glow in wonder and magic. The colors are eye-catching. It was just a shame that very few stores are open at night.

We were just a few blocks away from the movies, until a white van, with a strange logo, parked in front of us.

The driver, a tall, scrawny-looking man in a white tank top, jeans and brown shoes, exit the van. Accompanying him were four men with the same generic face, a deadpan Caucasian male with dark hair and dark eyes. All of them wearing the same business suit.

"What? What is this?" Kirby asked, slowly backing away in fear. April hid behind her father.

"Get behind me." I told Kirby and April, as I stood in front of them and got into a defensive stance.

I looked at the identical men. Something about their faces look very familiar.

I tried to roundhouse kick the center one, but he caught my ankle and flipped me over his shoulder. Another did the same with April, as the other two knocked Kirby out and threw him into the van.

"Let us go!" I told the men, but they didn't listen.

"Help! Help!" April called, as she tried to fight back, but the men were unfazed.

"Hey!" We heard an unfamiliar voice call, getting one of the men, that threw Kirby into the van, attention.

I looked over my shoulder and saw a... anthropomorphic turtle, around the same size as 15 year old male, wearing ninja gear and a red bandana mask over his green eyes?

Now, I've seen everything. He punched the man in the stomach. The man bent forward and toppled back a bit.

Three more turtles joined the red masked one, fighting the other men. Each with a colored mask; blue, purple and orange. Just like my dream.

The blue masked turtle kicked the man that held me, causing him to drop me, and back-flipped out of the way, as the man chased him. I landed on my feet and took an offensive stance.

I guess the man, the red masked turtle punched, recovered from the hit, because I heard the red masked turtle say, "Still standing, huh? I'll fix that."

Then, the entire place turned into a street fight. The turtles and I against the strange men. The turtles weren't doing very well, as they were getting into each other's way by either their weapons, or themselves.

"Watch it!" The blue masked turtle told the red masked one, as he bumped into him.

"You watch it!" The red one shot back.

The blue one leap-frogged over his opponent and tried to keep his fight away from the red one as possible.

You know what? This is becoming a handful. I'm just gonna give the turtles nicknames of their colored masks, until I get their names.

Red dodged a powerful punch from the man in front of him, but bumped into Purple.

"Watch it, Donnie!" Red told Purple.

'Donnie', huh? Must be short for Donatello. Well that's one out of four.

The turtles continued to clash into each other, as the fight continued on. Orange and Red got their weapons tangled, but they dodged just in time before they got hit. Donnie did quite well, until Blue clashed with him and then tried to hit the man in front of him, but Red got in the way and Blue hit Red's shell.

"What the-" Red exclaimed, until he was punched out of the way. The man that punched Red started attacking Blue, but Blue jumped out of the way.

Using his sais, Red caught his opponent's attack and tried to throw him over his back, but the man wouldn't move, "Oh, come on!" The man punched Red across the street.

Blue dodged each attack his opponent gave him. Then he bumped, back-to-back with me. I looked at him and he looked me. Then, we looked at our opponents.

An idea hit me. "Double-team?" I proposed to Blue.

Blue looked a little confused, but answered, "Sure."

Blue jumped into the air and gave my opponent a flying-kick. While, I ducked and gave his opponent a leg-sweep and a powerful punch, which threw him a few feet away.

"You're really good." Blue smiled at me. Something about his eyes felt familiar to me. They were sapphire. Where have I seen them before?

I smiled back, "Thanks. You too." Then noticed Blue's opponent was back on his feet, "Watch out!" Both of us got punched and the force threw us into a trash can, "Ow!"

We recovered and returned to the fight.

"Hey, cut it out! Stop! Ow!" April told the man that had hold of her. Her voice caught Donnie's attention.

He threw his staff at the man. The force caused him to let go of April and fly forward. Donnie was able to catch April, before she hit the ground, "Gotcha!"

April looked at Donnie. Donnie smiled, but April screamed at him. Donnie screamed back and dropped April.

Realizing what just happened, Donnie tried to explain, "No, no, no. No. Don't worry. We're the good guys." April didn't pay attention and tried to back off, due to fear of a giant talking turtle.

Am I the only calm one in this group? Wow. Just wow.

"It's okay." Donnie told her in a calm and gentle tone.

April looked behind her and two men were advancing toward her. She looked back at Donnie, who smiled and reached out his hand to her. April was about to grab his hand until Donnie was hit in the head by Orange's nun-chucks. Donnie shot a glare at him.

"Whoops! Sorry." Orange sheepishly apologized, then shouted, "Watch out!"

Donnie looked back and the man punched him Orange in the same fashion as Blue and I. Donnie recovered and saw April, gagged and bound, being taken away in the van.

"They're getting away! They got the girl!" Donnie exclaimed, as he grabbed his staff and dashed after the van.

I noticed and dashed after the van as well, "April!"

Red and Blue followed after us. "You just jabbed me with your sword." Red shouted at Blue.

"Well, I didn't know you were gonna land where I was stabbing." Blue shot back, as we ran after the van.

Unfortunately, we lost them at the corner. Out of frustration and beating myself up for being unable to save my best friend, I punched the nearest wall with enough force that it cracked on impact.

" **畜生** **!** (Chikushō/Damn it!)" I cursed.

I felt a three-fingered, scaly hand on my shoulder. I turned and saw it was Blue who put his hand over my shoulder.

"We'll save them." He told me in a calm tone. His calm aura calmed me down.

"Thank you." I bowed to them.

Red and Donnie looked at each other in confusion. "Wait, you're not gonna scream and run, like your friend did?" Donnie asked.

"Why should I? You guys just helped me try and save my friend. Also, there's something familiar about you, but I can't put my finger on it." I answered casually. Blue smiled in understanding.

"Well, my name is Leonardo. But, you can call me Leo." Blue, Leo, introduced himself.

"I'm-" Donnie was about to introduce himself, but I cut him off, "Donatello. But your friends call you Donnie."

"How did you know that?" Donnie asked, surprised.

"I've got good hearing." I answered with a small shrug.

Red kept quiet. I guess he doesn't trust me yet. Tough guy act, huh?

"That's Raphael." Leo told me.

I bowed in greeting, " **はじめまして** **.** I'm Eleanor, but you guys can call me Ellie."

The turtles looked at me, then bowed back. Then, Donnie realized something.

"Where's Mikey?" He asked.

"He must be back on the street." Leo said.

We ran back to the street and walked into Orange, or Mikey. He looked like he just saw something creepy and dark. Like a ghost, or an alien.

"Guys! Guys! You're never gonna believe this! That dude, he- he- Had a brain!" Mikey tried to explain about one of the men we fought.

"We all have brains, Mikey." Leo pointed out.

"Not all of us." Donnie interjected.

"In our chests?" Mikey asked, as if he was panicking in innocence.

I raised an eyebrow. A brain in his chest? Where does that sound familiar?

"No, Mikey. Not in our chests." Leo answered, shaking his head.

"You're not listening to me!" Mikey shouted, in panic and anger. Leo slapped him in the face and Mikey flinched, "Did you just slap me?"

"I was calming you down." Leo answered casually.

"Why would that calm me down?" Mikey asked.

"I think he's delusional." Donnie said as he observed Mikey's actions. I shook my head.

"Just-just come here." Mikey told us, as he walked off to an alley, where he said he saw the man with a brain in his chest.

"I'm telling you. The big guy was a robot and he had a freaky-weird alien brain thing in his chest. You gotta believe me." He told us, as we followed him.

"I'm not sure we do." Raphael said blankly.

"Oh, yeah? Well, you'll change your tune when you see that he's-" Mikey was about to shoot back, but his little story proof was not there anymore, "Gone?" Mikey looked at his brothers. Raphael shook his head, as the rest of them walked away.

Mikey sulked in disappointment. I placed a hand over his shoulder.

He looked at me and I smiled, "I believe you."

Mikey regained his smile, then followed his brothers.

They made their way to a manhole, in the same alley I was looking at this morning, and Raph opened it. Leo walked to the edge and looked at me.

I was staring into the manhole. All I can see was darkness. I heard rushing water and sewer rats squeaking.

My train of thought was broken, when I noticed a hand reaching to me. I looked up and it was Leo reaching his hand to me.

"Wanna come with us?" He asked.

I looked at the four turtles. In a flash, they were replaced by the boys that were in my dream for a second. That was when I realized. The boys were the turtles.

I thought for a second, then took Leo's hand with a smile. The moment my hand touched his, I felt something spark in my heart, but I kept quiet about it.

Raph, Mikey and Donnie jumped down, and Leo lead me down the manhole.

The turtles lead me to their home. It was like an abandoned underground train station with six rooms. I stared in awe.

Leo looked at me, "Wait out here. We need to tell our sensei what happened tonight." I nodded in understanding and waited at the toll-gates.

The turtles walked to the center of the left three, which lead to a dojo. The door opened to reveal a anthropomorphic brown rat, that was around the same size as a grown man, and wearing a dark red kimono.

"Master Splinter, we have a small problem." Leo told the rat, Splinter.

Splinter looked at me. I looked at him and bowed in welcome, and he bowed his head in return. Again, there was something in his eyes too. They were amber-brown like mine. Something very familiar, but I can't put my finger on it.

"Bring her in." He told the turtles.

Donnie motioned me to follow. Something told me I wasn't the 'problem' Leo was talking about.

I walked with the turtles, into the dojo, stood in the corner and allowed them to tell the story of what happened to April and her father.

"And so your inability to work together allowed them all to get away." Splinter scolded the turtles.

"Well, maybe if I didn't have to waste time arguing with hero boy, I could've saved them." Raphael pointed out, glaring at Leo.

"Hey, if you hadn't gotten in my way, I could have done it." Leo snapped back, then looked at Donnie, "And you went flying off on your own. How smart was that?"

"Well, it would've worked out great, if somebody hadn't hit me in the head with their nunchucks!" Donnie exclaimed, glaring at Mikey.

"Well, none of this would've happened if-" Mikey was about to look next to him, but no one was there, "Somebody hadn't trusted us to go up there in the first place."

Leo, Donnie, Raph and I gasped at what Mikey said and who he blamed; Master Splinter himself.

Mikey realized his mistake and began to apologize, "Oh, geez. Sensei, I didn't mean to-"

"No, Michelangelo. You are right." Splinter cut Mikey off.

"I am?/He is?" The turtles and I asked in unison.

"You were not fully prepared for what was up there. I trained you to fight as individuals, not as a team. And as your teacher, your father, the responsibility for that is mine. Perhaps in another year we can try again." Master Splinter explained how it was his fault for April's kidnapping, then suggested on waiting.

"Another year? Ha- Has everybody forgotten that people were kidnapped? They don't have a year! Sensei, we have to do something now!" Donnie exclaimed. Splinter and I looked at him.

"You weren't there, Sensei. You didn't see the way that girl looked into my eyes. She was scared. And she was counting on me, us, to save her!" He explained.

Then I sensed something change in Master Splinter's demeanor. He was looking at a photo, on the shelves. As he stared, I could hear fire and a collapsing house echo all around me.

Could he be...? No, it's not possible.

"Yes, you must save her." Splinter said, breaking my train of thought.

"I agree, Sensei. But in that fight, we weren't exactly a well-oiled machine." Leo said.

"Like that robot with the brain thingy." Mikey compared.

"Give a rest!" Raph told Mikey, still not believing him on his story.

Splinter stroked his beard in thought, "If you are to fight more effectively as a unit, you are going to need a leader."

"Can I be the leader?" Leo asked, raising his hand.

"Why should you be the leader? I kicked your butt. I should be the leader." Raph pointed out.

"Hey, I'm smarter than all you guys put together. It should be me." Donnie argued.

"No way! It should be me!" Mikey said, getting stares from his brothers, "I don't really have a reason. I just think it would be neat."

Splinter looked at me, his face asking if I wanted to be in charge of the group.

I quickly shook my head. I may know the outside world better than the turtles, but I'm not leadership material. Besides, Leo asked. He deserves a chance.

"This is a difficult decision. I will meditate on it." He told us, entering his room. He closed the door for a second, then opened it, "It's Leonardo." Then closed it again.

Leo smiled, but noticed that Raphael was not very happy about the decision. "No hard feelings, Raph?" He asked.

"Stick it in your shell." Raph muttered, storming out of the dojo.

* * *

 _ ***A few hours later.***_

Leo, Raph, Donnie, Mikey and I arrived at a nearby rooftop, just across the road of an abandoned company building with the same logo as the van that took Kirby and April.

"Explain to me one more time what we're doing here." Mikey asked, trying to break the silence.

We moaned in annoyance at Mikey's attention span.

"Mikey, we've been over this. That building has the same logo as the van that was used to kidnap the family." Leo explained, pointing to the building, "So if we wait here long enough, one of the kidnappers will eventually show his face. And when he does, we'll make him tell us where they took them." Leo finished with as little detail as possible for Mikey to understand.

"And then we got ourselves a van!" Mikey cheered, missing what Leo just told him.

Leo face-palmed in annoyance, "Just hit the guy I tell you to."

"Will do!" Mikey smiled with a thumbs-up.

"Are you sure this is gonna work?" Raph asked Leo.

"Trust me. They'll be here any second." He answered with a confident smile.

And so we waited. Donnie and Mikey played a little paper-volley. While Raph and I did some sparing. Eventually we got a bit bored after half an hour, so we did something else.

Mikey took a small nap. Raph was just watching the stars. Donnie was using one of Mikey's nun-chucks as a jump-rope. And I counted his jumps. At 205 jumps, Donnie missed a jump and tripped over.

An hour and a half has passed, and I was hanging upside down from the billboard, Raph was still staring into space, and Mikey and Donnie were playing 'What-I'm-Thinking-Of'.

"Okay, I'm thinking of something green. Ga-reen. Ga-reen." Mikey said, in his turn to think of something. He made obvious emphasis on the 'Green' part, and was lightly pointing at Raph.

"Is it Raphael again?" Donnie asked, bored of the game.

"Man, you're good at this!" Mikey exclaimed in slight excitement.

Two hours of waiting, and Leo never left his spot. Raph had enough, so he walked over to him. I dropped down from the billboard, and lied down on the roof, recovering from the blood rushing to my head.

"Give it up already. The guy's not gonna show." Raph told Leo, losing his patience.

"We have to be patient." Leo reminded.

"No, you have to come up with a better plan, 'cause the five of us standing here with our thumbs up our noses..." Raph began complaining, until Mikey spoke up.

"I don't think they'd fit." He said, looking at his thumbs, taking Raph's words literally.

"Is pointless!" Raph finished.

"You sure about that, Raph?" Leo asked with a confident smirk.

"He just showed up, didn't he?" Raph asked, as the van finally showed up, "I should've complained two hours ago."

The driver turned off the engine of the van and exit.

"Gentlemen, I have a bold and daring plan. There's no time for hesitation. My orders must be carried out without question." Leo announced, quoting a heroic speech from... Space Heroes? He likes Space Heroes too? During his speech, Raph sighed, grabbed my hand and we dashed into the shadows.

Leo noticed we were gone and called, "Guys? Guys, wait up!"

The driver walked to the front of his van and saw us walking toward him.

"All right, buddy. We can do this the easy way, or, my vote, the hard way." Raph reasoned, smiling and drawing his sais. The rest of us followed suite, in case we break into another fight.

"Yeah, look at it logically. There are five of us and one of you." Donnie summarized, then chuckled, "What are you gonna do?"

The driver stared at us, then pulled out an unfamiliar gun. He fired pink-purple lasers at us. Leo grabbed my hand and we jumped for cover.

"You had to ask!" Raph shouted at Donnie.

The driver entered his van. We got out of our cover, as he began to drive away.

"He's getting away again!" Donnie told Leo.

"No, he's not." Leo said, as we made our way to the roofs and began chasing the van and the driver.

Raph tried to dash ahead and jumped on top of the van. However the driver swayed the van and threw Raph into a wall of an apartment building. Leo, Mikey, Donnie and I continued the chase on the van by the rooftops.

The driver fired his gun at us. Donnie, Mikey and I jumped out of the way, while Leo stayed on the track. He threw a ninja star, and the star flew toward a tire. The tire blew flat and threw van onto its side. I watched the van fly into the air and land on its side. Leo landed beside me.

"Now we're getting somewhere." He smiled.

The turtles and I re-grouped and snuck behind an apartment building, just in front of the van. Leo gave out a couple of hand signals that indicated that he wanted us to circle the van from behind.

"I don't know what that means." Raph said, waving his hands in poor mimicry.

"Go around back." Leo translated.

"Why didn't he just say so?" Mikey asked. I face-palmed. He just did.

The turtles and I made our way around the back of the van. The van had one backdoor open with delivery boxes inside. I looked inside the van and saw something glowing light blue.

"Raph, come help me with this." I called Raph.

He walked over and he helped me open the other door. As we opened the door, a stray canister rolled out of the van and made its way to Mikey's feet. The contents inside the canister had the same light blue glow and looked like alien goo that we see in science fiction shows.

"Mom?" Mikey asked in astonishment and confusion.

 **To be continued...**


	2. Rise of the Turtles Prt 2

Rise of the Turtles Prt 2.

 **~Eleanor's POV.~**

 _Okay. Let me sum up from where we left off last time. During just a normal day with my friend, April, we encountered a group of strange men that wanted to take us somewhere. I was rescued by four mutant turtle brothers named; Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo. Unfortunately, April and her father, Kriby, were not very lucky._

 _So, to help find out where the men took April and Kirby, the turtles and I pursued a van with the driver responsible. When we found him and disabled his truck, we found a canister with a strange goo that seems to be tied with what's going on. And there you go._

The turtles and I stared at the canister in awe. The glow it gave out makes you wonder what it does and what secrets, that science hasn't unfolded, it can tell us.

"So that's the-" Leo began, and Donnie finished for him, "Mutagen that turned us all into what we are now."

Then it hit me, "Hold on. You guys were just ordinary turtles, until you were splashed with this stuff?"

"Pretty much." Leo said, casually scratching the back of his neck.

I smiled, "That's awesome."

"Let's drink some!" Mikey said in excitement.

"What? Why would you do that?" Raph asked.

"'Cause if you mutate a Mutant, you get a Super Mutant!" Mikey summarized with a smile. I face-palmed. Science never works the way you think it should.

"Or a pile of goo on the sidewalk." Donnie pointed out.

"Either way, it's an improvement." Raph smirked.

"Guys, this is huge." Leo interrupted, bringing his brothers and I back to the matter at hand, "Whoever kidnapped those people are somehow connected to what happened to us 15 years ago."

"How is that possible?" Donnie asked.

"For alien robots, anything is possible." Mikey said in a slight spooky and cautious voice.

"Stop that. There are no such thing as alien robots!" Donnie told him.

"Oh, yeah? Well, if there's no such thing as alien robots, how do you explain this?" Mikey asked, walking toward the driver of the van, picked him up and began trying to remove his face.

"Aah! Aah! My face!" The driver screamed in pain of Mikey's grip.

"Man, this mask is glued on tight!" Mikey said as he tightened his grip.

"Mikey, stop! It's not a mask." I told him.

Mikey looked at the driver, dropped him, then looked at us, "Okay. He's in the clear. But those other guys were totally alien robots."

"Enough! Time to get some answers." Raph said, grabbing the canister from Donnie. He walked up to the driver and grabbed his arm, "Who are you, and what's goin' on?"

"Name's Snake, and I got nothing to say to you hideous freaks." The driver, Snake, answered.

"Oh, well, that's 'cause you don't know us yet." Raph smirked. He threw Snake toward Leo, Donnie, Mikey and me. Donnie and Mickey grabbed one of Snake's arms, to make sure he doesn't get away.

"See, we were just regular guys, until we got hit with a little of this." Raph began, opening the canister of Mutagen.

"Wha- What are you doing?" Snake asked, obviously starting to get scared.

"Playing a little game I like to call 'Mutation Roulette'. Now you could turn out handsome like me, or you might end up disgusting and deformed, like Mikey here." Raph answered with a smirk.

"Hey!" Mikey shouted, feeling offended by Raph's words.

"So, you feel lucky?" Raph asked, beginning to slowly pour the Mutagen onto Snake's head.

The ooze was only centimeters from his face, until Snake finally cracked, "Okay, okay! They call themselves the Kraang. They been grabbing scientists from all over the city."

I raised an eyebrow. 'Kraang'? Why does that sound familiar? Raph brought the ooze back into the canister and smiled.

"That worked pretty good." Leo smiled.

"Of course it did. Do you wanna look like Mikey?" Raph joked. I suppressed a giggle.

"I'm right here." Mikey pointed out, sulking a bit.

"What do they want with scientists?" Leo asked Snake.

"I don't know." Snake answered, until Raph showed him the Mutagen again, "All I know is they're taking them out of the city tonight, but I don't know where!"

"This is awesome! That girl's dad is a scientist. I'm a scientist. She is so gonna like me." Donnie smiled on how much in-common he and Kirby have. I smiled with him.

"I don't think you're her type." Snake placed his opinion.

Donnie, Mikey and I turned to look at him in the face.

"Where are they now?" Leo asked.

* * *

 _ ***A few minutes later...***_

The turtles and I arrived on the rooftop of a building that was close to the destination that Snake told us about. It looked like a triangular wall protecting an tall tower. Leo told Mikey to keep an eye on Snake to make sure he doesn't escape and warn the Kraang. Leo got out a telescope to get a closer look.

"There's gotta be, like, twenty of them down there." Leo said, as he looked.

"Yeah, and that's just the ones we can see." Donnie pointed out.

"All right! An all-you-can-beat buffet!" Raph smiled, getting his sais ready.

"We can't just rush in there." I told Raph, finally speaking up.

"Eleanor's right. We need a plan." Leo included.

"Why?" Raph asked.

"Think, you shell-brain. There are innocent lives at stake. If we screw this up, they're all goners." Donnie explained to him.

"And a rush-in will make that happen." I finished.

"Then we won't screw it up." Raph said. I shook my head. Screw-ups happen at random. They don't happen on purpose.

"Boy, I could sure go for some of that pizza right now, huh?" Mikey butted in, joining us. Leo, Donnie, Raph and I stared at him. Did he just left his post on keeping an eye on Snake? "What? I can't be the only one that's hungry." He asked.

"Where's Snake?" Leo asked.

Mikey realized his mistake and looked back at where he was guarding. Snake was gone, "Oh, geez."

We looked across and saw Snake making an escape. "Get him!" Leo told us.

Snake ran down the apartment stairs, followed by the turtles and myself. When we reached the bottom, he vanished. There was only two ways he could've gone. Donnie and Mikey went one way, while Leo, Raph and I went the other.

Raph, Leo and I ran into an alley-park and saw a dark alley. Leo and I heard an empty can roll across the ground. Which gave away Snake's position. Leo looked at Raph and motioned toward the trashcan in the alley. Raph nodded in understanding and Leo smiled.

"Oh, great. We let him get away." Leo said out loud, playing dumb.

"Oh no, what a disaster." I said, playing along.

"Whoa, whoa. You're the leader. That means you let him get away." Raph pointed out, not playing along, or helping us out.

"Raph!" I shot/whispered at him.

"You're not helping." Leo snapped/whispered.

"I'm not trying to help." Raph shrugged.

"Okay, okay. You want me to lead? Fine." Leo sighed, realizing playing dumb won't work anymore, "We go back to the Lair, gear up, and at midnight, we drive Snake's van right up to the gate. They'll think we're him, and we'll cruise right in."

"And then we bust some heads?" Raph asked with a smile.

"And then we bust some heads." Leo answered with a smile.

"I love a happy ending." Raph said with a happy smile.

Leo looked at me, "Are you coming to the Lair to gear up as well?"

I shook my head, "I have some stuff at home I need to pick up. I'll meet you guys at the Lair when I'm ready."

Leo and Raph nodded and we went our separate ways. I made my way to my room via roof top. I entered my room quietly and began packing my weapons and what I needed for the rescue plan. My main weapons were a pair of eskrima sticks with built in taser-ends and a pair of katanas. One of the weapons was a gift from Miyamoto-Sensei.

* * *

( **A/N: The eskrima sticks are similar to the ones Nightwing uses in Young Justice, Injustice and Arkham series.** )

* * *

Mulan must have heard me, because she startled me by scratching on the wires of her cage. I looked and turned on her heat lamp. I keep forgetting to reset the timer on that thing. Mulan looked me in slight confusion.

"April got kidnapped, Mulan. I need to get them out before the kidnappers do something to them." I told my pet alligator lizard.

Mulan raised her left claw, indicating she wanted me to pick her up. I smiled, picked her up, laid on my bed and rested her on my chest. Mulan climbed her way up to my face. She licked and nibbled on the tip of my nose, which tickled and indicated that she wanted me to be careful and good luck.

I lightly giggled, picked Mulan from my shoulder, kissed her on the forehead, placed her back into her cage, and quietly made my way to the turtle's underground Lair.

I arrived at the lair, only to be greeted by shouting and screaming. Raph was chasing Mikey with a wooden spoon in his hand. I don't really want to know what Mikey said. I walked by Donnie's workshop and saw Donnie creating shuko climbing hand claws. I didn't want to disturb him, so I made my way to the dojo. I saw Leo making a diagram of the building with pencils, nuts, bolts, and pencil sharpeners. He used an eraser as the van.

I walked up behind him, and I noticed he tensed up slightly. In a swift motion, Leo sheathed his katanas and swung them at me. At the same time, I drew my katanas from my backpack and blocked Leo's attack. I couldn't help but look into his deep blue eyes. Leo noticed it was me and lowered his swords.

"You startled me." He sighed in relief.

"I was testing your reflexes." I smiled with a shrug. He smiled back.

"Would you like to see the plan?" He asked. I smiled and joined him to look at the diagram.

He told me that with Snake off to warn the Kraang of our pursuit. So, we were going to use the van as a decoy to distract the gang from our real pursuit of climbing the back wall. It was a brilliant plan.

"I think this plan is gonna work." Leo said, finishing his plan.

"No plan ever survives contact with the enemy. It is how you react to the unexpected that will determine if you and your brothers succeed." Master Splinter said, coming from behind us.

"Sensei, do you think I'm ready for this?" Leo asked, sounding like he was doubting himself.

Splinter placed his hand over Leo's shoulder, "Leonardo, I made you leader for a reason."

"What is that reason?" Leo asked.

"That is for you to discover on your own." Master Splinter answered.

"There's so much riding on this." Leo wondered.

Something came to my mind and made me begin to worry. "What if something goes wrong?" I asked.

"Failure is a possibility every leader must face, child. It is something I had to face in Japan during my final battle with my enemy, the Shredder." Master Splinter explained, then began telling a story of that he went through the same trouble, "Years ago, Oroku Saki, as Shredder was called then, had been my friend, but the love of a woman came between us. He could not accept it, and his jealousy turned outward in a vengeful attack. And while he could not defeat me that day, my world fell and crumbled around me as the battle took the life of my beloved Tang Shen, and I lost my baby daughter, Miwa." He finished.

His story sounded just like the man's life, from my dreams. My mother told me my uncle suffered the same fate. Master Splinter must've been there during the accident.

Tears filled up my eyes, but I fought them back, "Splinter-sama, I'm very sorry."

"But that's my point, Sensei. You lost everything." Leo pointed out.

"I lost many things. My family, my home, my name." Master Splinter said. Leo and I looked at each other, until Master Splinter spoke again, "But I gained many things as well, like the four of you."

"Don't worry, Splinter-sama." I smiled.

"We can handle this." Leo smiled in full confidence.

The moment was broken when Mikey and Raph dashed past us. Mikey was wearing a saucepan over his head, and Raph still had the wooden spoon.

"Get back here!" Raph shouted, as he dashed by.

Leo, Splinter and I looked at each other and shook our heads.

* * *

 _ ***A few hours later...***_

Leo's plan was underway. The van drove into the gateway and distracted Snake and the Kraang. The opening allowed us to climb the wall without getting noticed.

"Wow, lucky thing that van showed up to distract them." Mikey said, as he looked at the blazing van.

Donnie face-palmed but hurt himself with his climbing claw, "Ow!"

"That was the plan, Mikey. We knew Snake was hiding in the alley, so Raph, Eleanor and I made him think we would be in the van." Leo explained.

"But we weren't in the van." Mikey pointed out.

Leo shook his head, "Just keep climbing."

Mikey smiled, "Can do."

The turtles and I climbed over the wall and made our way to the roof of the building. Once we found an opening, Leo and Raph took down two men that saw us coming. The rest of us jumped in and began looking around for April and Kirby.

I must say that the inside of the building is very different from the outside. The walls were a white metal with pink-purple energy veins flowing through them

"Wow, I've never seen anything like this. They're using a metal alloy that I don't even recognize." Donnie said in awe of what he sees in the building.

"Gosh! A metal alloy even you don't know about! It boggles the mind." Raph exclaimed in a sarcastic tone.

"Dude, you wanna talk metallurgy with me? Bring it." Donnie dared Raph with a sharp glare.

"I don't, and-" Raph tried to argue back, but Leo cut him off.

"Guys! What part of being in an enemy lair do you not understand?" He snapped.

The turtles and I peeked over the corner and saw strange, humanoid robots that fit Mikey's description, with brain-like aliens in their stomachs. A few of them were in strange, blue, transparent armor. My eyes widen. Now, those things look very familiar.

"Whoa. Alien robots." Donnie gasped.

"Alien robots, huh? Hmm, where have I heard that before?" Mikey remarked in sarcasm until he shouted, "Oh, yeah! I've been saying it for hours!"

His shouting caught the attention of the robots. They began shooting their guns at us. The turtles and I dashed at them and began taking them down. Once Leo defeated his two opponents, the alien inside the blue armored robot woke up, walked out of its shell and aimed to attack us. Mikey whacked it with his nun-chucks and the creature fell unconscious.

Mikey picked it up by its tentacles and showed it to us, "See? See? It's a brain thing! I told you! I told you! But did any of you believe me? No! 'Cause you all think I'm just some kind of bonehead!" He shouted.

The creature woke up and began biting Mikey's arm. Mikey waved his arm violently, which caused the alien to let to and hit a switch. An alien-sounding alarm called out, and the alien walked off.

"Mikey!" Raph, Leo and Donnie scolded, staring at the youngest turtle.

"Okay! But I was still right about the brain thing. You gotta give me that." Mikey pointed out.

We heard more of the alien robots were heading our way.

"Let's move." Leo told us, as he advanced forward.

"Move where?" Raph asked.

I shook my head then looked up. I saw a pair of large, grey wires on the ceiling heading down the hallway, getting narrow the more they progressed.

"Donnie, come take a look at this." I called Donnie, pointing to the wires.

He looked, then turned to his brothers and I, "I think those are power conduits."

I adjusted my glasses, to make sure I wasn't seeing things, "Looks like it."

"Oh! That's really interesting! Thanks for sharing, Donnie." Raph said in sarcasm.

"Meathead, the conduits are all converging that way, which means that whatever is going on in that direction is important!" Donnie explained, following the conduits.

Leo, with a smile, motioned that we follow Donnie. I shook my head at Raph. His temper will get the better of him at some point. Mikey walked past him teasingly.

"You got spanked." He told Raph, like a child.

Before Mikey was out of his reach, Raph grabbed Mikey's finger and gripped it tightly, trying to bend it back.

Mikey yelped in pain, "Ow! Ow! Mercy!" Raph let go and followed the rest of us. Mikey tended to his finger and glared at Raph, "Not cool."

The turtles and I dashed down the hallway, only to pass a black cell room. Donnie looked back at the cell and called to the rest of us, "We found 'em!"

I looked through the window of the cell and saw my friends, unharmed. "April! Kirby!" I called in relief. April and Kirby smiled back at me.

Our little reunion was cut short by lasers being fired toward us. The robots found us. Terrific.

"We'll hold them off! You pick the lock." Leo told Donnie, as the rest of us grabbed our weapons and dashed into battle.

"Don't worry! I'll have you out of there in a second." Donnie reassured April and her father.

"Okay, giant lizard-thing." April replied, trying to comprehend what Donnie was.

"Turtle, actually. I'm Donatello." Donnie corrected and introduced himself.

"April." April introduced.

"Wow, that's a pretty-" Donnie was about to say, until he was cut off by Leo bumping into him, causing his face to smack into the door.

"The lock, Donnie!" Leo reminded him.

"Yeah-oh, right, yeah! Sorry." Donnie said, getting his mind back on track and began picking the lock.

He was having a little bit of trouble with the wires. While Mikey, Raph, Leo and I were beating more of the alien robots.

"Not to rush you, but hurry up!" April shouted at Donnie, slightly in a panic.

"Hey! You think it's easy trying to pick a lock with these hands?" Donnie shot back, waving his hands at her.

April sweat-dropped in slight embarrassment, "Uh, sorry."

Raph noticed Donnie was having trouble and lost his patience, "Oh, for the love of- Get out of my way!" He told Donnie, pushing him aside and started stabbing the lock with his sai.

The door finally opened, only for us to see that April and Kirby were being taken away again. The robots from behind us kept firing, which only lead us to run for the back door. We jumped out, followed by lasers.

"Get the door!" Leo told Raph, who was the last to get through the door.

Raph tried to close the door, but a robot got caught. Raph ripped the robot's arm, kicked him back, and put the arm on the handles. The robots tried taking down the door, but no avail.

"That'll hold 'em." Raph told us. His brothers and I stared at him in slight shock. He just ripped an arm off the robot and used it as a lock. "What?" He asked.

"You are seriously twisted." Leo said.

Raph smiled, "Thanks."

"No! Let me go!" We heard a voice shout from above us. The turtles and I looked up and saw April and her father being taken to the helicopter dock.

"Let's get 'em!" Leo shouted. We ran toward the path to the dock, but were blocked by a... 12 foot tall humanoid weed-insect-like creature.

The only thing that was going through my head was as Mikey said, "Uh-oh."

The weed roared, then glared at us angrily, "You did this to me! Now you're going to pay!" It's voice was growly, but unmistakable. The weed creature was Snake.

"It's Snake! He mutated into a giant weed!" Leo said.

"He must have got hit by the Mutagen, that was in the van." I summarized, as Snake roared angrily at us and tried to move. But, his legs were stuck together.

"That's weird. You'd think he'd get mutated into a snake." Mikey whispered to Raph.

"Yeah, you would, if you were an idiot." Raph shouted.

"But his name is Snake." Mikey pointed out.

"So?" Raph asked.

"You don't understand science." Mikey pouted.

I looked and noticed that Snake was able to separate his legs, so he could move.

"Guys, now's not a good time to argue." I shouted, getting Raph and Mikey out of their sibling argument.

"I'll crush you turtles!" Snake snarled.

"Uh, would it help if we said it was an accident?" Donnie asked. This only angered Snake even more, as he began snapping his pincers at us. "So, heh, I'll put you down for a 'no'?" Donnie suggested.

Snake swung his arm at us. Donnie, Leo, Raph and I jumped out of the way, but Mikey wasn't very lucky. Seeing an opening, Leo jumped and used his katana to cut off one of Snake's vines. Snake roared in pain, as purple sap sprayed on the ground.

"Don't let it touch me! Don't let it touch me!" Mikey screamed, as he backed away from the sap. A splash of sap got on his leg and he screamed, "It touched me!"

I shook my head at him and spoke up, "It's just sap, Mikey. It's not gonna burn through your shell."

In a matter of seconds, Snake's lost limb grew back to full length. Snake smiled evilly. He developed an asset of being a mutant weed.

"It grew back? No fair!" Donnie asked, then whined.

The sound of helicopter blades interrupted the fight, as we noticed that April and her father were boarding the chopper.

Leo looked at Donnie, "Donnie! Go!"

Donnie nodded and sheathed his bo-staff. Leo gave him a boost and Donnie left us to deal with Snake. I tried to hold Snake back, as Leo and Mikey tried to cut off his vines to slow him down. Not very much luck. Raph dashed underneath Snake, using his climbing claws to try and get Snake to his knees.

However, he only got sap all-over them. Raph shook the sap off and glared at Snake, who roared and swung his vines at him. Raph grabbed the vine and pulled it back, making Snake topple over. Raph jumped over him and tried to get some ground, but Snake caught him with a thorn-covered vine and threw him at Mikey, Leo and I.

"Snakeweed is really powerful!" Mikey said, giving Snake a new name.

Leo, Raph and I looked at him in slight confusion, "Snakeweed?" Raph asked.

"Yeah! His name was Snake, and now he's a weed, so-" Mikey tried to explain.

Raph cut him off, "We get it!"

"We just have to hold it off until Donnie gets back." Leo said, until the locked door burst open and the alien robots aimed their guns at us. "While not getting shot by alien robots." Leo finished.

"With brains!" Mikey added.

"Let it go, man." Raph told him.

Snake and the robots ganged around us. We kept jumping out the way. Raph tried to attack Snake's vines, but they kept growing back and the robots were right behind him. Raph jumped out of the way, as the robots shot Snake, when they were aiming for Raph. Snake roared in pain, swinging his vines blindly. One of his vines swung toward Raph. Time felt like it slowed down. Raph was too concentrated of the robots to notice the plant coming toward him.

"Raph, look out!" Leo shouted, as he noticed the vine.

Thinking quickly and being stupid, I tackled Raph out the way of the vine's swing. The impact caused me to hit the wall so hard, it created a large crack and hit my head that the world around me go blank.

* * *

 **~Leonardo's POV.~**

Eleanor saved Raph from Snakeweed's blind attack. She fell unconscious on the ground, as Snakeweed swung his arm at all of us, including the robots.

"What's the plan again, chief?" Raph asked me.

"I'm working on it." I answered, until Snakeweed grabbed my ankle and began swinging me around. I looked and saw the same wires that the girl and Donnie noticed before, "The power conduits."

"Are we really gonna start talking about that again?" Raph asked, not getting the point.

I looked and saw the conduits connecting to a power generator. An idea came to me, "Perfect." I looked at my brother, "Raph! Mikey!" I put one of my katanas in my mouth and made hand signals to them. The signs I made told them that I need them to get the robots to attack Snakeweed.

They nodded in understanding and sprung into action. They ran behind Snakeweed and I cut his vine to let me go.

Snakeweed turned his attention on Mikey and Raph, as they easily dodged his attacks. Raph and Mikey turned their attention to the robots behind them and taunted them. The robots began firing and Raph and Mikey ran, so the robot's fire hit Snakeweed. I climbed on top of the generator and prepared two of my shuriken stars. But, Snakeweed was still too far.

Suddenly the ground lightly shook under my feet. Out the shadows, emerged Eleanor, back on her feet. But, something was off about her.

Her eyes no longer amber-brown, or had the loyal and kind look. They were glowing cyan with black sclera, the white parts of her eyes, and had a dead and glassy look. Like she was possessed by something.

Eleanor clapped her hands together and some kind of powerful force blew Snakeweed and the robots closer to the generator. Perfect. I threw my stars at Snakeweed's back. He yelped in pain, then looked at me.

"Hey, come and get me, stinkweed!" I taunted. I made a funny face and Snakeweed tried to attack me, but it jumped over him. I taunted the robots and they continued to shoot at Snakeweed and the generator.

As I got away from the crossfire, I noticed pillars of earth binding around Snakeweed's ankles. He couldn't move. My eyes followed the trail of the moving rocks. They lead to Eleanor, who had her hands on the ground. With enough shots, the generator short-circuit, electrocuted Snakeweed and the generator exploded.

Once everything calmed down, Eleanor's eyes began to return to their normal amber-brown color and show emotion.

Eleanor sighed and began to topple over. I caught her before she fell to the ground. As soon as my hands touched her soft, pale skin, I felt something spark inside me. My heart started to beat faster, and my cheeks felt warm.

* * *

 _ ***Later that night...***_

My brothers and I took the other girl, April, to her aunt's apartment building. April sat on the edge of the balcony and sighed.

"Are you gonna be all right?" Donnie asked her.

"I guess. My aunt says I can stay here as long as I want, but I'll be a lot better when I track down the creeps that took my dad." She answered with determination in her eyes.

"Won't the police help?" I asked.

"Funny thing. When you tell them your dad was kidnapped by alien brains in robot bodies, they don't take you all that seriously." April answered with a light chuckle.

"I hear that." Mikey added in.

"April, I promise you we will not rest until we find him." Donnie told her.

Raph looked at him, "We won't?"

I nudged him, "No, we won't."

"Thank you, but it's not your fight." She sighed.

Donnie placed his hand over April's, "Yes, it is."

April smiled at Donnie, who smiled back. Then a thought came to her as she looked at her unconscious friend, "You'll take care of Ellie, right?"

I assured with a small smile, "Don't worry. She's in good hands."

Raph picked Eleanor up, and we made our way back to the lair. Raph placed Eleanor into one of the spare rooms we had. Donnie and Mikey relaxed in the living room. And I entered the dojo and told Master Splinter of what happened.

"I am impressed, Leonardo. You proved to be an effective leader under the most difficult of circumstances." Sensei told me with a smile.

"Thank you, Sensei. And I think I figured out why you made me leader." I smiled in confidence.

"Oh? Why is that?" He asked.

"Because you sensed inside me a true warrior's spirit that could forge us all into the heroes we are destined to become." I answered.

"No." Master Splinter said.

"No? Then why did you make me leader?" I asked.

"Because you asked." He answered.

"That's it? But you seemed so certain you were right." I asked and pointed out.

"As a leader, you will learn that there is no right and wrong, only choices." Master Splinter pointed out.

"So you could have chosen any of us?" I asked him, shocked.

"Yes." He answered.

"Even Mikey?" I asked.

Master Splinter chuckled, "No. That would have been wrong."

The silence was broken by Mikey shouting loudly, "Everybody! Come here! We made the news!"

Master Splinter and I entered the living room and saw the news channel on the television.

"A report of get this ninjas in New York. Don't believe me? After residents reported a disturbance, the police recovered this." The news reporter announced, showing an image of one of my ninja stars I left. "For channel six news, this is Carlos Chang O'Brien Gambe saying, 'Hi-ya'!" He finished.

"This is awesome! We're gonna be famous!" Mikey exclaimed in excitement.

"You must be more careful. The ninja's most powerful weapon is the shadows. Being brought out into the light is a dangerous thing." Master Splinter warned us.

"Relax, Sensei. It's one little news story. What's the worst that can happen?" Raph said in confidence.

A thought came to my mind, "Speaking of. What are we gonna do with her, in there?"

"We have to take her back to her home." Donnie pointed out.

We walked into the spare room, where she was sleeping on the bed. Eleanor looked very peaceful in her sleep. Master Splinter moved a loose bang from her face. By the look on his face, I think he knows her somewhere.

Now that I think about it... I think I know Eleanor from before too. But, I can't put my finger on it. I need to ask her at some point.

"Who's gonna take her?" Mikey asked.

We looked at each other and I came to a decision, "I'll take her."

I gently picked Eleanor up and began making my way out of the sewers and towards April's apartment. When I got to the building, I noticed an open window. I climbed toward the window and walked into the room it lead to.

It was an empty bedroom that looked like it belonged to a tomboy's room with ninja gear and a tank with a sleeping baby alligator lizard in it.

I placed Eleanor on to the bed and waited for her to wake up. She still looked very peaceful. I felt my cheeks heat up a bit, and my heart beat a little fast, as I began to wonder what she was dreaming about.

Eleanor started moaning, indicating that she was waking up.

* * *

 **~Eleanor's POV.~**

I regained consciousness from getting hit by Snake's attack. I opened my eyes and sat up, rubbing my head.

"Ow, my head. What happened?" I asked, adjusting my eyes, and noticed I was in my room in April's aunt's apartment.

"You took quite a hit. I'm surprised you were able to survive an impact like that." I heard Leo explain from the window, then complemented.

I looked the blue-masked turtle and smiled, "I learn from the best. Thanks for taking me home, Leo."

I noticed Leo blushed as he smiled, "It's no problem. Oh, and Master Splinter said that you and April are welcome to our home anytime you like. He's also thinking about training you more on ninjutsu. If you're up for it."

I thought for a second. More training would mean that I could protect my friends better, and if Splinter-sama doesn't mind.

I shrugged my shoulders, "Sure. I'm game."

"Cool." Leo smiled.

Suddenly, the hallway light switched on. Quickly thinking, I motioned Leo to hide or run. He climbed out the window and jumped on to the rooftop of the building next to my room. I quickly closed the window, jumped on to my bed and faked going to sleep. I heard my door open for a few seconds, then close.

I looked at my door, to see anything. All clear. I jumped off my bed and looked out the window. Leo was still on the rooftop, looking at me. He smiled and waved. I smiled and waved back. Then Leo made his way back to his home.

I think I'm gonna like being in New York. Life has just gotten a whole lot more fun.


	3. Turtle Temper

Turtle Temper.

 **Eleanor's POV.**

It's been a few days, since April got kidnapped. I gotta say, getting nearly kidnapped, and meeting Leo, Raph, Donnie and Mikey was the best thing that ever happened to me. Heck, Master Splinter has been teaching me more on ninjutsu. And I gotta say, my life was getting pretty boring before all this, heheh.

Anyway, Donnie heard from an anomynous tip, _*cough*_ April _*cough*_ , of the Kraang's activity in an abandoned lab. So, He, his brothers and I decided to investigate. We arrived a bit early and formed our post on the rooftop of an apartment building.

I lead us to the building, because I used to live there, until a cranky, angry old man complained about my free-running hobbies and threatened to call the police, if my family didn't leave. Charming, right?

Donnie looked through his telescope to get a closer look at the lab.

"Anything?" Leo asked.

"Nothing yet." Donnie answered.

While Donnie, Leo and I remained on surveillance, Mikey was being his mischievous self and was poking Raph on the top of his head. Raph swatted Mikey's hand away a few times, until he grabbed Mikey's finger and squeezed it tightly. Mikey yelped in pain.

"Guys, when ninjas are on surveillance, they are supposed to be silent." Leo reminded Mikey and Raph.

"Sorry, Leo. I'll scream quieter." Mikey whispered.

Mikey tried one more time to poke Raph, but Raph caught him and bound him into a tight head-lock, "Say it." He told Mikey.

"Raph, be quiet please!" I told Raph.

"Not till Mikey says it." Raph told me, as he tightend the headlock on Mikey.

"Raphael is all-wise and powerful." Mikey forcefuly said, rolling his eyes.

Raph let go of Mikey, then got him into a tighter choke-hold, "And?"

"And he's better than me in every possible way." Mikey answered.

Raph let go again, but threw Mikey on to the ground, "And?"

"And I'm a lowly worm beneath his feet, who isn't fit to live on the same planet as him, because he's so amazing and I'm a dirt clod." Mikey answered in a slight hurry, running out of breath.

Raph licked his finger and aimed to poke Mikey at the top of his head with it, "And?"

"And in the history of the universe there's never been-" Mikey began, but Leo cut him off.

"Okay, enough." Leo said.

Raph frowned, got off Mikey and walked toward Donnie, Leo and I.

"We're wasting our time. The Kraang aren't gonna show up." Raph told Leo.

"Have a little patience, will you?" Leo asked.

"Trust me, guys. They're gonna break into that lab tonight. I have reliable intel." Donnie explained with a smile.

"Intel? You mean April told you." Raph smirked, pointing out the obvious.

"You mean your girlfriend?" Mikey teased. I supressed a giggle. Donnie's face was priceless.

"She's not my girlfriend, Mikey! She's a girl, who's a friend, whose dad got kidnapped by the same aliens who are gonna break into that lab. And we're gonna stop 'em." Donnie shouted, then explained.

"Or we'll sit out on a cold roof all night for no reason." Raph added, shrugging his shoulders.

"What the heck's going on up here?" We heard a voice ask. It was a voice I thought I would never hear again.

The turtles and I turned to look at the stairway and saw the door was opened by an elderly, chubby man wearing only a white tank top, blue pants and brown sandals. I recognised him instantly. He was the same man that threatened my family to move out. He was also my neighbour, Vic. Not a very nice man.

The turtles and I stared at Vic. I tensed as only one thought came to me, "Uh-oh."

"What are you? Playing dress up?" Vic asked as he looked at us.

I sighed in slight relief. He doesn't recognised me. Well, who can blame him? I was only 6 years old when he met me.

"No, sir. We were just-" Leo tried to explain, but Vic cut him off, "Which one of you slimy green ham shanks busted my satellite dish?"

Oh, here we go again with the name calling. Always the first, huh Vic?

"Ham shanks?" Raph asked, feeling insulted by the name.

Donnie scratched his head in confusion, "I don't even know what that means."

"Me neither. But I don't like it." Raph replied, starting to reach for his sais. But, I stopped him by grabbing his hand.

"Best you don't know. Trust me." I told him.

"Let's go." Leo told us, walking away.

"That's right, you spineless cream puff! Listen to your mommy." Vic taunted, catching Raph attention.

I started sensing a burning anger in Raph, as he turned to Vic with his sais ready, "Hey! Watch it, buddy."

"Oh, no. I didn't know you had salad tongs." Vic teased with a mean smile.

"Salad tongs?" Raph shouted, angry at Vic's taunts.

He was about to attack Vic, but Leo and I held him back, "Raph, don't encourage him." I told him calmly.

"I'm not gonna take this from some greasy, pit-stained slob with a comb-over!" Raph shouted.

"You calling me ugly? Seen a mirror lately, circus freak?" Vic asked.

"Raph, don't!" Leo warned Raph.

"You want a piece of me?" Vic dared. Raph was becoming too much. So Donnie helped out.

"When I'm done, a piece of you is all that's gonna be left-" Raph threatened, but he was cut off by a pink-purple laser.

The turtles, Vic and I turned and saw four Kraangdroids, aiming their guns at us.

"Kraangdroids!" Leo announced.

"Holy Toledo!" Vic shouted in shock.

"Way to blow our position, Raph." Leo scoulded, as we got our weapons ready.

The Kraangdroids did the same.

* * *

 **Vic's POV.**

The strange men fired their guns at the frogs and the girl. "Scram!" The blue masked one told the others.

I quickly hid in the stairway for shelter and watched the fight between the strange men and the group of freaks. The frogs and the girl were doing kung fu on the strange men.

"Holy cow. They're some kinda..." I got my phone out and began filming the action, "Kung fu frogs." I notice the girl and she was using freerunning moves. "Those moves look familiar." I muttered to myself. I know I've seen the moves the girl used, but I can't remember where.

Once the fight was over, the men ran off. "Keep going, kung fu frogs. This is pure gold." I told the frogs, waving my phone at them.

"We're not frogs, you idiot!" The red one shouted at me.

"Yeah, and it's not kung fu. It's an ancient Japanese battle art." The purple one told me.

"Guys, he got us on video." The blue one alerted the rest. The red one got angry. The girl, however, had a tired, blank look on her face. Like she's been through this scene before.

"Not for long, he doesn't." The red one said.

He dashed toward me, but I closed the door on him. I felt the impact he made on the door. That was really funny.

* * *

 **Eleanor's POV.**

Raph rammed into the door, that Vic closed to escape from us with the video he made of our fight with the Kraang.

"Oh wow. **Déjà vu** (Already seen)." I said in a deadpan tone.

Leo looked at me, "Déjà vu?"

I nodded at him, "Means I've seen this before."

Donnie looked at me, "You have?" I nodded again.

"I'm gonna make a fortune off of this!" We heard Vic's voice from the stairway, along with the sound of fire truck sirens coming toward the building.

"Fire truck's en route. Thirty seconds!" Donnie alerted us.

"Let's move." Leo told us.

"Wait! We have to find that guy and break his phone, and his face!" Raph shouted, but we were already gone.

As soon as we got back to the lair, Leo told Master Splinter what happened on the roof. Splinter told Leo to gather us up in the living area, so he could talk to all of us. By the way Leo sent the message, Master Splinter did not sound very happy. We gathered and Master Splinter started speaking to us.

"Not only did Raphael alert the Kraang, but you got caught. On video." Master Splinter scoulded, looking at Raph, as he paced.

"Sensei, he was the angriest, nastiest guy you ever met." Raph tried to explain.

"Except for you." Mikey added, only to get hit over the head by Raph, "Ow!"

"You should have heard the insults this guy was throwing at us. They were so... Insulting!" Raph explained.

"Oh, I did not realize he said mean things. Of course, you had no choice but to jeopardize your mission." Splinter said in a sarcastic tone.

"Burn." Mikey smiled, only to agitate Raph a bit more.

"You are ninjas. You work in the shadows, in secret. This becomes difficult if there is proof of your existence in high-definition." Splinter explained.

"Look, we know where this guy lives. All we need to do is find him and shake him until the tape pops out." Raph told him.

"Oh, there's no tape. Video phones use flash memory-" Donnie tried to explain digital phones, only to stop by the look on Raph's face.

I shook my head at Raph. His anger came too soon.

"Anger is self-destructive." Splinter said.

"I always thought it was others-destructive." Raph side-commented.

"Raphael!" Splinter called. The force behind his voice caused Raph to flinch and look at his sensei. "Stand up." Splinter told him.

Raph did so. Mikey smirked like a child, "Somebody's in trouble."

Master Splinter told us that he wanted to see a demonstration on how Raph's anger affects him. So, he lead us to the dojo and gave Leo, Donnie, Mikey and I a bow and a quiver with suction cup arrows. We circled Raph about the right distance and waited for Master Splinter's instructions.

"Evade the arrows." He told Raph.

Raph smiled, "No problem."

" **始め** (Hajime/Start)!" Splinter instructed.

Leo, Donnie, Mikey and I fired one arrow each, and Raph was able to evade them with ease. Donnie was the last to fire. Raph jumped over it and Splinter caught it with two of his fingers.

" **止め** (Yame/Stop)!" Spinter instructed. The boys and I lowered our bows. "Again, except this time, Leonardo, Eleanor, Donatello, and Michelangelo, insult Raphael." He told us.

"Wait. Insult him?" Donnie asked, unsure about the plan.

"Yes." Splinter answered.

"And he can't fight back?" Donnie asked. Raph raised an eyebrow.

"No." Splinter answered again.

Donnie smiled, "I'm feeling good about this plan."

" **始め**!" Splinter instructed.

The boys and I circled Raph, beginning the excersise again.

Mikey chuckled as he began the insults, "You move like a bloated buffalo."

Mikey fired his arrow. Raph was able to evade it. "I do not!" He defended.

"And you're always whining." I pointed out, firing my arrow, which Raph evaded as well.

"Yeah. 'Poor me. Nobody understands me.'" Leo backed, firing his arrow.

"Well, you don't understa-" Raph tried to shoot back, but the arrow hit him on his shell. His aura started to blaze red again.

"And..." Donnie started, thinking of a good insult. Then he got one, "Oh! You don't keep your back straight when doing **表小手逆** (Omote Kote Gyaku/Reversing the Forearm to the Outside)." Donnie fired his arrow and it hit Raph's shell, next to Leo's arrow.

"And you're ugly!" Donnie added, firing another arrow, which hit.

"And gassy." Mikey included, firing his arrow. It hit the center of Raph's shell.

"Stop it!" Raph shouted at us.

"Oh, you talk so tough, but inside, you're just a scared little baby." I insulted with a cooing tone.

"Who needs his bottle?" Donnie insulted, firing his arrow.

"And his diaper changed?" Mikey added, firing his arrow.

"What's the matter, Raph? Gonna cry?" Leo cooed, firing his arrow.

"I am... Not... Gonna cry!" Raph shouted, in between the arrows hitting him. Our last arrows hit him on the head. Donnie's hit the left side, Mikey's hit the right, Leo's hit the back, and mine hit the front. On my arrow, Raph collapsed.

Mikey sighed in relief, "I wish this moment could last forever."

"You know what? Forget this. This is stupid." Raph shouted in frustration, throwing his sais on the ground.

Mikey moaned a bit, "It didn't."

Raph walked over to Master Splinter.

" **忍辱精神** (Ninniku Seishin/Spirit of Preserverance) is the ability to endure insults with patience and humility. You cannot be a true ninja until you master it." Splinter explained to Raph.

The arrows on the side of Raph's head fell. Mikey chuckled in humor. Raph got agitated, that he balled his hand into a fist.

"Understood?" Splinter asked.

Raph noticed his fist and calmed down, " **はい** **,** **先生** (Yes, Master/Teacher)."

"You must get that video back. Using reason, not force." Master Splinter told us.

While the guys were gearing up and getting the arrows off Raph's shell, a thought came to me. Even if Raph is able to understand **忍辱精神** , that won't mean he'll be able to control his anger any better. I walked into the dojo and stared at the tree, thinking about a way I can help.

"Something on your mind, Eleanor?" I heard Master Splinter ask, from behind me. I didn't move. Somehow, I sensed him coming.

"You know Raph won't be able to keep his anger under control, Splinter-sama. He needs an outlet for it. If he keeps this up, he'll explode." I explained.

Master Splinter nodded in agreement. "Your awareness of your friends' well-being makes you very wise for your age. Do you have any suggestions?" He told me, then asked.

I thought for a few seconds. Raph's pet turtle, Spike, is a good listener, but talking doesn't always help. It just calms him a bit, until something agitates him again. Then it hit me, "A sparring partner."

Master Splinter looked at me in confusion. "Raph's been talking to his turtle, Spike, right?" He nodded, "Well, I learn that talking is not always the best way. Raph needs to work out his anger. So, why not someone who can fight him?" I explained.

Splinter stroked his beard in thought, "I will think about your suggestion."

I bowed, " **有難う** (Arigato/Thank you)."

"Ellie, you ready? We gotta go!" I heard Donnie shout.

I got my things together, met up with the turtles and we made our way to Vic's apartment building. We arrived a little early, so we waited for Vic to show himself. After ten minutes, Vic left the building, talking over the phone to a friend or someone.

"That's right. I swear on my mother's grave that these guys are frogs and they know kung fu." He told his friend, but it sounded like his friend wasn't believing him, because he shouted, "You can't tell me that's not worth something."

Vic yelped in surprise, as the boys and I circled him. "I'll call you back." He told his friend, then hang up the phone. "Lay one finger on me, frog, and I'm calling the cops." He threatened us.

"We're not gonna hurt you." Raph said, trying to control his anger.

"Then what do you want, freak?" Vic asked.

"We got off on the wrong foot last night. Some things were said, and well, we would just like that video back." Raph explained and requested.

Vic gave us a look. Leo nudged Raph in the elbow.

"Please?" Raph finished.

"What are you gonna give me for it?" Vic asked.

I face-palmed. Definitely déjà vu. Just like with my family.

"Give you for it?" Raph asked.

"Well, I figure I've got you over a barrel, so you've got to make it worth my while." Vic said with a smirk.

I shook my head, pinching the bridge of my nose in annoyance.

"I'll make it worth your while." Raph smiled, then shouted in a fit of anger, "I won't take your head and smash it against the-"

Leo placed his hand over Raph's shoulder, stopping him, "Okay, okay, thank you, Raphael. I will take over." Raph pouted, but let Leo talk. "So what are you looking for?" Leo asked Vic.

"A cool mil ought to cover it." Vic answered.

I removed my hand from my face. My eyes widen. That's a new method of blackmail from Vic. For my family, it was a law suit, which Mother refused.

Leo nodded, but didn't understand the offer, "A cool mil of what?"

I placed my hand over Leo's shoulder, getting his attention, "Leonardo, a 'cool mil' is a million dollars."

The boys looked shocked, while Vic smirked, "That's right, Girlie."

"We don't have a million dollars." Leo told Vic.

"We do have some Canadian quarters that fell through the grate." Mikey offered.

"I can make serious money off this thing. And if you don't want to pay, I'll hold on to it until someone else does." Vic told us, waving his phone at us.

Now, Raph has lost his patience, "That's it!" He grabbed Vic by the arm and threw him on to the ground, "Hand over the video or, so help me, I'll kick your hairy butt all the way to New Jersey!"

A pair of headlights shined on us. Leo saw it and announced, "Guys! The Kraang!"

Donnie, Mikey and I saw a van, with Kraangdroids inside, driving toward Raph and Vic, but they were too busy being mean to each other.

"Raph!" Leo called, catching Raph's attention. Raph looked and saw the van heading toward him.

Thinking quickly, I tackled Vic and Raph out of the way of the van, "Look out!"

The van dashed by and vanished at the corner. Another van started up and began following the van before it.

"Let's not let this one get away." Leo told us.

Raph picked up a barrel and threw it at the van. It hit the hood and knocked the van off balance, which caused it to hit the garage door just two building away from its parked space.

Raph smiled in confidence, "Well, that was easy." However, the back door of the van opened to show a group of Kraangdroids, with guns, ready for a fight. "Ooh-kay." Raph said, has the Kraang began firing at us.

The turtles and I dashed into action and attacked every Kraangdroid that were aiming for us. Raph took down most of them. Vic was trying to keep away from the fight, with his phone still in one piece. He was able to make it to the van, but a Kraangdroid pushed him into the van.

Raph and I double-teamed on some Kraang, but by the sound of his voice, he noticed Vic in the van.

"Oh, no, you don't!" He shouted, as he marched off. Leaving me to fight on my own.

I blocked a Kraang's chainsaw-gun, and looked behind myself to see Raph heading toward the van, "Raph, what are you doing? Get back here!"

I was able to push the Kraang away, but another kicked me from behind and started kicking me. I got into the hedgehog position, as two more began attacking me.

I tried to call, but the kicks got too painful, "Raph!"

After a few more kicks, Leo and Donnie got the Kraang off me. Before I could thank them, the van drove off.

"Raph's in the van!" I told them.

Leo, Donnie, Mikey and I dashed after the van. We chased it for a while, until we were able to see Raph at the edge of the van.

"Raph!" Donnie called, with his staff out for Raph to grab, "Get out of there!"

Unfortunately, Raph didn't listen and walked deeper into the van. But, he was thrown out by the Kraang. He tumbled and knocked us over. We recovered, but the van got away with Vic inside. Thank goodness it was the Kraang with him. Too bad it was the Kraang with him.

Raph looked at us. I hugged myself and refused to look at Raph. I felt like my trust and faith in a friend was broken by a blazing fire of rage. I felt Mikey's hand of comfort over my shoulder.

"Nice going, Raph." Leo scolded.

"What did I do?" Raph asked.

"What did you do? You left the four of us in the middle of the fight to yell at somebody. We could have stopped them, but thanks to your temper, the guy with the tape-" Leo tried to explain, but Donnie cut him off.

"Again, technically, it's a flash-" Donnie tried to remind, but Leo cut him off.

"Not now! Is in the hands of the Kraang. How are we supposed to find them?" Leo snapped, then finished, and wondered.

Donnie sulked, but noticed a trail of motor oil on the ground, "Look, the truck's leaking!"

"All right! We can follow the trail to their hideout." Leo smiled.

"And then we'll bash some bots!" Raph smiled, until he got a stern glare from Leo, "What?"

"We're going to bash some bots. You are going home." Leo told him.

"What, are you kidding? Come on, guys. Are we gonna let Leo power-trip like this?" Raph asked, thinking Leo was joking.

I felt Raph's eyes on me, but I refused to look at him.

"I think Leo's right." Donnie said.

"You gotta control your temper. Until then, we just can't trust you." Leo told Raph.

I felt Leo's hand on my shoulder, as he, Donnie, Mikey and I began to follow the trail.

"Sorry, Raph." Mikey apologised.

I looked back to see Raph throw his sais to the ground in frustration. My eyes soften in sympathy, before following Leo. Once everything calmed down and we followed the trail. I began thinking about Raph's temper and behaviour. I can't really blame him for being a hot-head. Vic really does know how to get under your skin, or in Raph's position, scales.

"You doing alright?" I heard Leo ask me.

I nodded, "Yeah. I really don't blame Raph on his temper and the way he behaves. Vic just knows how get under your scales."

"Who's Vic?" Mikey asked.

"The man that Raph was yelling at." I answered.

"You've met this man before?" Donnie asked.

I nodded again. "When I was six years old. My family and I lived in the apartment above him. I was only practicing my free-running skills and Vic was just finding an excuse to get us out. He never had a thing for my family's heritage. His words and actions got the better of my mother, Leiko. She lost her temper and got us under threat of getting sued under false accusations. And so we left the apartment and ended up where we are now." I told them my story with Vic.

"Wow. That guy is really mean." Leo said in surprise.

"But, your mother had no choice. As you said before, he got under her skin and she had to react." Donnie pointed out.

"No choice, Donnie?" I asked him, "She could've just ignored him. She could've just let his words wash over her. Like a river over stone. But, she turned his words into weapons. Letting her anger get the best of her. That was the choice she made. I'm just worried if Raph will make the same choice."

"Where is your mother?" Leo asked me.

I fell quiet. Leo and the boys fell quiet as well. The boys and I followed the trail to an abandoned warehouse that was just fifteen blocks away from Vic's place.

"We're here." Donnie told us. We looked over the corner and saw the warehouse. No Kraang at the front, but we were not sure to take the front.

"Are we really gonna do this without Raph?" Mikey asked.

"We can handle it." Leo answered.

"I don't know. It just feels like something's missing." Mikey said, missing Raph.

Thinking like Raph, I hit Mikey over the head with the same force he would have used.

"Ow! Thanks." Mikey yelped in pain, then smiled at me.

I smiled back, "Happy to help."

"Let's go." Leo told us, and began climbing the wall we were hiding behind.

We made our way in from the rooftop and entered the main floor. It was dark and was full of creates with strange symbols and cobwebs made from the red and black spiders.

"Spiders." Mikey whimpered, as we walked past a web with a red and black spider.

We kept walking down the warehouse, keeping an eye out for anything that might be moving in the shadows. The silence and tension was broken by Donnie and Mikey fighting. Mikey was slapping Donnie on top of his head.

"Hey!" Leo whispered. He was loud enough for Mikey to stop hitting Donnie and look at him. "Shh." He told them.

Donnie got back on his feet, and we continued to follow the trail to Vic and the Kraang, of course with Mikey giving Donnie a threat to hit him again if he tries anything. Heheh.

We followed a corridor to a back room, which three floors and was supported by a large pillar with mutagen flowing through it. Vic was tied to an office chair, and a group of Kraang were evaluating the video that was on Vic's phone. The boys and I hid behind a group of creates, waiting for the right time to help.

"The image that is the image on the phone is pleasing to the eye of Kraang. This is true. Kraang is looking what is known in earth terms as 'handsome' in this phone." The Kraang in the human disguise said, as he looked at the phone

"Well, you guys drive a hard bargain. Tell you what, I'll drop it down to $500,000. And you can keep the phone." Vic offered the Kraang. The Kraang turned to take a better look at the video. "Okay, $400,000." Vic haggled.

"This is our fight with the creatures called the Turtles and the one named Eleanor Hamato." The blue-armored Kraang on the right identified the video.

"The usefulness of this will be proven usefully with the more watching of this." The blue-armored Kraang on the left included.

"Also this is being a good image of Kraang." The human-disguised Kraang said with a smile in his voice, but not his face.

"We should be showing the image of Kraang to Kraang." The blue Kraang on the right proposed to the center Kraang.

Under Leo's direction, Mikey quietly threw his kusarigama around the office chair and started silently pulling Vic toward us. Vic noticed he was moving and looked behind him to see us.

I placed my finger over my lips, "Sshhh."

"We're gonna get you out of here." Leo told him quietly.

"What about my phone?" Vic asked loudly.

Leo mirrored me, "Shh."

"Don't shush me. I ain't leaving here without my phone." Vic shouted.

The volume of his voice caught the attention of the Kraang. They saw us and got their weapons ready at us. "Stop the one that needs to be stopped." One of the blue-armored Kraang ordered.

"Stop!" Another Kraang told us, getting its weapon ready.

"Remind me why we have to rescue this guy?" Donnie asked.

With a swift motion, the boys and I jumped into action and attacked the Kraang. We were taking them out fairly easy. However, our battle was cut short by a Kraang shooting a pipe of mutagen and screaming. The battle was halted into a silent stand-still.

"Kraang, go look at the place where the thing that makes the noise is, and tell us what thing makes that noise in that place." A blue-armored Kraang told the other.

The other Kraang walked into the shadowed area of where the scream was located. In a few seconds the Kraang was thrown across the room and the alien ran out in a panic. A loud roar echoed from throughout the area.

"I don't like the sound of that." Mikey said.

Out of the shadows emerged a mutant black and red spider. A round body with six eyes, four spider-like appendages coming out of its head, chubby arms with three fingers, and chubby legs with two toes.

"I don't like the look of it either." Mikey added to his last statement.

"What did you do to me? I'm hideous." The spider shouted. I instantly recognised the spider was Vic.

I lightly smirked at the irony, "Personally, I think it's an improvement."

Vic glared at me, "Why you little punk!"

"Don't worry. The five of us can handle him." Leo reassured us.

"Okay, this might be a bad time to point this out, but you sent one of the five of us home." Donnie pointed out to Leo.

"And right now, I wish it was me." Mikey whimpered.

"This is your fault. I'm gonna rip your heads off." Vic shouted at us.

"All right, guys, prepare to dish out the mighty wrath of justice." Leo told us, sounding like a superhero.

Donnie sighed, "Seriously, just yell, 'get him!'"

"Get-" Leo started, but got thrown into a batch of creates by Vic's appendages.

Donnie, Mikey and I dashed toward Vic and attacked him. He used his appendages to block our attacks and attack back. Leo used his speed to attack Vic in the front, then jumped over him and attacked him in the back. He was able to land a hit.

Mikey got cocky and asked Vic, "Is that all you've got?"

Vic got angry and spat a huge puddle of acid at us. The acid landed in front of us and it melted the entire area it landed in. That's not good.

"The answer I was looking for was 'yes'." Mikey said with an uneasy smile.

Vic took advantage of this new ability and began spitting acid at us. The turtles and I tried our best to keep away from the acid and try to attack Vic while he was distracted. Donnie and Leo were able to land some hits, but Vic began biting. Mikey threw a barrel into Vic's mouth.

Vic's mouth squeezed the barrel and looked at us. Mikey threw another barrel at Vic's face. Vic spat out the barrel that was in his mouth and began chasing us. The turtles and I ran from Vic, but found ourselves on a platform of where the acid spit has melted a circle around us.

Only one thought came to my mind when we realised, "Uh-oh."

The turtles and I fell onto the second floor and we fell hard.

"We're no match for Spider Bytez." Mikey said.

"'Spider Bytez'?" Leo asked, as we recovered from the fall.

"Well, he's a spider, and he bites, so I thought-" Mikey began to explain.

"We get it." Leo cut Mikey off.

Vic jumped down and advanded toward us. We tried to run from him, but he had us cornered.

"This bug is fast." Leo exclaimed.

"Yeah, spiders aren't actually bugs. They-" Donnie tried to explain, but Vic grabbed him with his appendages and threw him into the creates behind us.

"Playtime's over, frogs." Vic told us. He spat acid in front of us, preventing us from running. He advanced toward us, ready to take us out.

Suddenly, a familiar voice spoke from above us, "Wow. I didn't think this guy could get any uglier."

Vic, the Turtles and I looked up and saw Raph on the edge of the first floor.

"Raph!" Donnie and Mikey exclaimed in relief and joy to see their brother. Leo and I smiled at Raph's arrival.

Raph jumped down from the edge and landed in front of Vic and the rest of us.

"Well, I think you've been punished long enough. Come and join us." Leo smiled.

"Hey, it's the kung fu frog with the salad tongs." Vic teased with a confident smile.

"Hey, it's the stupid loudmouth who's about to get his butt kicked." Raph shot back, getting ready for the fight.

Vic spat at Raph, but Raph dodged. During Raph's distraction, Vic circled the other Turtles and I and spat his acid around us. We fell hard into the last floor. This fall was harder than the last one. I almost lost my glasses during the impact.

Donnie looked down and noticed a huge pool of Mutagen underneath us, "Uh, let's not fall through this floor, okay?"

Seeing that only Raph has Vic's attention, I grabbed Leo, Mikey and Donnie's hands and dragged them into the shadows of the creates and wait for the right moment to jump in.

* * *

 **Vic's POV.**

"Dance for me, frog." I told the red masked frog. I spat multiple acid blobs at him, but he dodged every one of them. I looked down and an idea hit me.

"Watch me turn your friends into frog fries. I'll serve 'em up with your salad tongs." I told him.

I connected a web to the edge and jumped down to take down the other frogs and the punk girl. As I reached half-way down, I felt something disconnect the web and I fell dead on my face. I got back on my feet and saw the red masked frog in front of me with his salad tongs ready to attack me.

"Aw, froggy thinks he can stop me. Ribbit, ribbit." I taunted. I knew this frog had a very quick temper, so my words are my best weapon, "What's that, Tadpole? Are you too scared to leap off your Lily pad and get the warts knocked off you?"

The frog just took a deep breath and gave the same blank look the punk girl gave me when we were on the roof of my apartment. "Like a river over stone." He muttered. What was that surposed to mean?

The frog dashed at me and began attacking me. I was able to block some of his attacks, but he was too fast and was able to land a few hits on me. I stretched my antennaes at him, but he was able to block and keep hold of one with his salad tongs. I spat acid, but he redirected the hit at my antennae. I yelped in pain and looked my antennae. The acid burned for a bit, but it wasn't too bad.

"That's some kung fu, frog." I said to the frog in surprise.

The other three frogs and the punk girl joined their friend.

The red masked frog smiled, "We're not kung fu frogs. We're Ninja Turtles."

Then they dashed toward me. I stretched my antennae at them, but the blue masked one blocked and the orange masked one rode my antennae and kicked me in the face. I tried to back up and jump for distance, but the purple and red masked frogs whacked me down. While I was on my way down, the punk girl flew out of the shadows of the room and kicked me twice, throwing me into the center pillar.

The red one stomped on the ground, breaking my phone into pieces. "My phone!" I cried.

The girl smiled, " **Déjà vu**. Eh, Vic?"

The way she said my name, like she knows me. But, I had no time to think about who the punk really is. I had to run.

"You guys are gonna regret this." I told them. Then I made my escape.

* * *

 **Eleanor's POV.**

The Turtles and I chased Vic out of the warehouse, but as soon we reached the rooftops, he was already gone.

"I know a nice black widow that'd be great for him." Donnie said with a smile.

Leo looked at Raph with a small smile, "Good work, Raph. I just want to say-"

Raph cut him off, "You don't have to apologize."

Leo shook his head, "I wasn't going to."

"Oh. Good." Raph smiled.

"Yeah, Raph. Not bad for a bloated buffalo." Mikey joked.

Leo, Donnie and I looked at the stars. They smiled, but I frowned in worry. With the stars, I saw a coyote chasing a boy and a giant serpent watching the coyote. This worried me greatly. It means danger is sure to show itself and hurt one of my friends.

My train of thought was broken by Mikey screaming, "Okay! Raph is all-wise and powerful."

I looked and saw Raph was behind Mikey and had him in a headlock. "And?" Raph asked.

"And he's better than me in every possible way!" Mikey shouted.

I couldn't help but giggle at the brothers.

"I love this family." I said with a smile.

Maybe I'm worrying too much. There's no way danger will come to these boys. I won't let it.


	4. New Friend, Old Enemy

New Friend, Old Enemy.

 **Eleanor's POV.**

It was a normal, star-filled night, and I was in my room, reading my favorite comic book, enjoying the evening. Good thing it was a weekend, and I finished my homework. It was quiet all day. Quieter than usual. That made me feel uneasy.

When I finished my comic and placed it back on the shelf, next to my wardrobe, I heard tapping on my window. I looked and saw it was my turtle friends.

I opened the window, so they could hear me. "Hey, guys. What are you doing here?" I greeted, then asked them.

"Well, we're starting our evening patrol for tonight. And we were thinking that maybe you could join us?" Donnie explained the wondered.

I thought for a few seconds, then smiled, "Give me one second." I told them.

I entered my wardrobe and got my ninja gear ready. I turned Mulan's lamp off and stroked her a 'good night'. She licked my hand, saying the same thing. I climbed out my window and met with the Turtles.

During the night, we ran and jumped across the rooftops, having a bit of fun and enjoying the night. We reached a large jump and the boys began to make a little game out of it.

Donnie went first, "Check it out!" He jumped and performed a flying somersault.

Mikey jumped on to the water supply tank and flipped into the air. He made the jump and Donnie clapped with a smile. Leo, Raph and I made the edge and looked the distance between the buildings.

"Top that, turtle chumps!" Mikey challenged from the other side.

Leo smiled, "All right, guys." He backed up to make some running speed. "Check this out." He told us.

He flipped toward the edged, jumped into the air with two flips, landed on to the next edge and cartwheeled toward his brothers.

"Whoa!" Donnie and Mikey exclaimed in amazement of Leo's stunt.

"C'mon Ellie." Leo called with a smile.

I smiled and backed up to make some running speed. I dashed toward the edge and flipped into the air. I landed on the edge with my hands and flipped toward the Turtles. Mikey laughed in excitement. Donnie and Leo clapped at my performance.

"Cute, kiddies." We heard Raph snicker.

Raph cracked his neck and backed up a little. He dashed toward the edge and tackled toward us. Uh-oh. He landed into us and threw us into the wall behind us. My back felt like it was hit by a bull.

"Ow. Easy of the tackles, Raph. I don't have a shell, like you guys." I reminded Raph, as soon as I recovered from the tackle.

"Sorry, Elle." Raph smiled, as Leo helped me back to my feet.

"What was that? You didn't do any flips." Donnie asked and pointed out.

"Oops." Raph joked with a sheepish smile.

Suddenly, a loud noise alerted us. We hid behind a wall and kept an eye of Leo's motions. He reached for his weapon and slowly began to drew it. The rest of us got our weapons ready and waited for Leo. We jumped out of the wall, ready for a fight, only to see a black and white... kitten.

We withdrew our weapons. Leo was shocked and dismayed. He got worked up over nothing.

"Don't give up, Leo. You might actually win this fight." Raph joked.

Mikey walked up to the kitten and picked it up, "It's a little kitty." He tickled the kitten and it purred. I smiled, I didn't know Mikey was so sweet with animals. He checked the kitten's collor and name-tag, "And its name is..."

"Mittens!" A voice shouted from close-by.

"Good guess. Wait, who said that?" Mikey said, then wondered where the voice was coming from.

We looked across from the building and saw a man, calling out from the window, "Mittens?"

"I think that's the owner." Donnie said.

Mikey smiled and began making his way to the man. Is he crazy?

"What are you doing?" Donnie shouted as Raph called, "Whoa, hey!" I warned, "Mikey!" And Leo exclaimed, "Mikey, wait!" We were shouting at the same time.

"What? I'm returning Mittens to her owner." Mikey explained, not realising the mistake he was going to make.

"Are you an idiot?" Raph asked, then realised what he said, "Wait. Let me rephrase that. You're an idiot!"

"You can't show yourself to a human." Donnie pointed out.

"Why not? Ellie's a human." Mikey asked, then pointed out, pointing at me.

"Because they'll freak the heck out, that's why not." Donnie answered.

"Donnie has a point, Mikey. Humans have a habit of judging others by their cover." I explained, using my own experience as a human.

"No, they won't. I'm not so scary." Mikey defended.

"You're an ugly, green mutant armed with ninja weapons." Raph pointed out.

"Look, this guy's gonna see that I'm just a regular, cat-loving dude like him. Next thing you know, we'll be best buds. This is gonna be awesome!" Mikey explained, then made his way to the kitten's owner.

"No!" "Don't!" "Mikey!" "Wait!" Mikey's brother's and I called, but we were too late.

"Mittens!" The owner called.

Mikey arrived, with the kitten in his hand, "Hi. Here's your-"

The man cut Mikey off with a scream, "Ugly, green mutant freak!"

Panicing, Mikey tried to explain, "But I got your cat!"

Taking his words the wrong way, the man shouted, "Help! He's got my cat!"

"Dude, chill! I'm just-" Mikey tried to explain, but the kitten picked up on the panicing atmosphere between the two and attcked Mikey.

Mikey struggled to get the kitten off him, and ended up falling off the bacony and into the alley. The others and I just facepalmed, or shook our heads. We jumped into the alley, to meet with Mikey. He was sulking.

"Someone want to help me with this?" He asked. He leaned forward to show us the kitten scratching his shell in anger and protection.

"No." The boys answered in unison.

I sighed a little and walked over to the little brother, "Here, Mikey. I'll take her."

Mikey got the kitten off his shell and handed her over to me. The moment the kitten landed on my hands, she calmed down and began purring.

I climbed up the wall, made my way to the balcony and knocked on the man's window. He looked out his window and saw me. He sighed in relief and took the kitten from me. He smiled in gratitude and closed his window.

I made my way down to join the turtle brothers.

"Face it. Humans will never understand you. Heck, we don't even understand you." Raph pointed out, in matter-of-fact.

Mikey sighed and sulked in disappointment, "Yeah." He looked up and his frown turned into a smile, "But I bet that guy would!"

The rest of us follwed Mikey's gaze and saw a large billboard with a poster of a middle-aged man with ginger hair and a goatie in martial arts pose. The man was hosting a Martial Arts Expo for the week.

My eyes narrowed in suspicion. What is HE doing in New York? The original Expo was supposed to be in Florida. And not for until next month.

"Chris Bradford. The martial arts superstar. With a chain of dojos across the country. He's your soul mate?" Leo identified and asked Mikey.

Mikey spun his nunchuck and mimiced Bradford's pose, "We've got so much in common."

"What if you stop standing like that?" Donnie asked in a deadpan tone.

Mikey dropped the pose, "We'll have a little less in common, but still a lot. And look, he's in town for a Martial Arts Expo." He explained, then smiled in excitement, "Maybe he'll show me his secret kata, 'The Death Dragon.' And I'll show him my secret kata, 'The Secret Kata'."

"Catchy." Donnie said.

"Check it out." Mikey smiled, as he showed us his 'Secret Kata'. It consisted of a goofy mixture of martial art moves. "But don't tell anyone you saw that." He whispered.

"No problem." Leo humored.

"I don't think Bradford is the best choice of trying to make friends, Mikey." I tried to warn Mikey about his new idol.

"Says you." Mikey snapped with a glare. This caused me to sulk a little. I'm trying to protect him, not bully him.

"Ellie has a point." Leo said in my defence.

"Face it, Mikey, Chris Bradford is the last person on Earth that would be friends with you. Well, tied for last, with everyone else on Earth." Raph said. Mikey glared at him.

Suddenly, the alley felt tense. Ninjas in black and grey surrounded the Turtles and me. I knew these men. The emblem on their sashes. These ninjas work for the man that killed my family...

"Ninjas? In New York? Other than us?" Donnie wondered.

We got our weapons ready to begin the fight. One of the ninjas threw a star at us and it hit Donnie's staff. The battle started. We were holding our own quite well, but it's nothing like the Kraang, or Spider Bytez, or Snakeweed. Leo was smiling during the battle. This must be fun to him.

"Why are you so happy?" Raph asked, as he and Leo went back-to-back

"It's just nice to finally be fighting people, instead of robots, or aliens, or weed-monsters." Leo explained his smile.

Suddenly, a large man, in a mask, appeared in the alley. Without a word, the man attacked Leo. He punched him into the wall behind him. Before Raph could react, the man roundhouse kicked him a few feet. Donnie tried, but got attacked by his own weapon.

In anger, I activated my taser ends of my eskrima sticks and dashed toward the man.

Before I could attack the man, a young, masked kunoichi appeared and began attacking me. I blocked and countered, but she was fast and was using moves that were familiar to me.

During this, Mikey threw his Kusarigama at the man, but the man caught it and dragged Mikey toward him.

"What are you?" The man asked Mikey. The voice sounded very familiar to me.

Mikey got his distance from the man and the kunoichi kicked me a few feet. Leo cut the chain from the Kusarigama. Police sirens interrupted the fight and the ninjas left. The kunoichi gave me a look, before she vanished. Leo looked at Raph and we made our way back to the Lair.

When we arrived, Leo wanted me to join him in telling Master Splinter about what happened tonight. As Leo told the story, I couldn't help but think about Chris Bradford being in New York, and those ninjas attacking us.

I knew them very well. The same men that were involved with my mother and sister's death.

"Their leader was crazy good, by which I mean he was good and seemed a little crazy. Besides, he had all these guys with him. It- it wasn't a fair fight." Leo finished explaining his story to Master Splinter.

"What do you mean, 'fair fight'?" Master Splinter asked, confused by the phrase.

"A fair fight, you know, where either side could win?" Leo answered as simple as he could. I lightly shook my head.

"So a fair fight is a fight you could lose." Splinter summarised.

"Well, yes, but - Well, what I what I mean is-" Leo tried to explain, but was lost for words.

"You don't want to assure your victory?" Splinter asked.

"No, I do, but-" Leo tried to answer, but Master Splinter tripped him over with his cane. Leo landed on his back, "Ow!" And Master Splinter pinned him, "Hey!"

"Was that fair?" Splinter asked.

"No!" Leo answered.

"Did I win?" Splinter asked.

Leo thought for a second and answered, "I see your point."

"Seek victory, not fairness." Splinter told Leo, as he released the pin.

Leo thought for a second and nodded, "Hai, Sensei."

Master Splinter helped Leo back to his feet and walked off. I smiled, but the man and the kunoichi still bugged my mind. I just couldn't clear my head of them.

* * *

 _ ***The Next Day...***_

Leo and Master Splinter were training in the dojo, as the rest of the turtles, including April and myself, were relaxing in the lounge. Raph was doing his daily work-out, Donnie was doing his thing on his laptop, April and Mikey were reading magazines, and I was just sitting up-side down on the couch, trying to clear my mind.

"Whoa, that's rad! Oh, I wish me and Chris Bradford were friends!" Mikey exclaimed, as he read his magazine, which was about the Martial Arts Expo.

"Mikey, you already have two human friends." April pointed out. Mikey looked at her in confusion. "Me and Ellie!" She answered.

"April, you and Elle don't count. We saved your lives, you have to like us." Mikey answered.

"Too bad there's no place for freaks to meet people where no one can see how hideous they are." Raph said, has he did his push-ups.

"Wait, there is. The internet!" April answered, then looked at Donnie, "Donnie, can I see your laptop?"

"Uh, y- uh, sure! Just a sec." Donnie replied, walking over and handing his laptop ove to April.

"Check it out, it's a site where you can make friends - with anybody online." April explained about the online chat site.

I've never been a big fan of the site myself. Eh, to each his own.

"Sweet!" Mikey cheered, taking the laptop from April and began typing. He looked over the site and gasped in excitement, "Ohh, Chris Bradford's on here!" He began typing again, "He'll be my first friend!"

Mikey waited intensley for Bradford's reply.

"Mikey, people don't always respond immed-" April tried to tell Mikey, but the computer made a sound that indicated Bradford replied, "But sometimes they do."

"No way! Chris Bradford has accepted my friendship! I have a friend! Thanks, April!" Mikey exclaimed in happiness and joy.

He hugged April, threw the laptop off his lap and made his way to the exit.

"Where are you going?" Donnie asked, until he noticed his laptop was heading for the ground, "Hey!" He dived in and saved it from falling to pieces.

"To hang out with my friend, Chris Bradford." Mikey answered.

"This guy's famous. He probably has thousands of 'friends'." April reminded Mikey, adding quotation marks to 'Friends'.

"And guess who's number 5,286?" Mikey asked with a smile.

"You?" April asked.

"Daniel Ramirez! And I'm right next to him. Later!" Mikey answered, then made his way to the city.

"Well, this ought to be interesting." April said.

"Should we go after him?" Donnie asked.

Raph shook his head, "Eh, he's gotta learn somehow."

I felt Donnie look at me. His voice broke my train of thought. "You feeling okay, Ellie? You've been awfully quieter than usual."

I looked at him and faked a smile, "Y-yeah. I'm fine." My smile fell, "I was just thinking about how those ninja's found us. And I think I know."

Leo exit the dojo, just in time to listen to what I just said.

"Can you show us?" He asked.

I noticed the determination in his eyes. I nodded in agreement.

* * *

 _ ***A little bit later...***_

I lead the boys to the same alley where we were attacked. We were on top of the highest building and looked down at the alley. I could still sense the ninjas' aura around the area.

"They must have been watching us from here." I told the turtle brothers.

"The perfect place to stage an ambush." Leo summarised.

"It wasn't very fair, was it?" Donnie wondered.

I had to admit, the kunoichi and the ninja weren't being very fair on us. But, why spy on us and attack us when our guards were down?

"It's not about fairness. It's about victory." Leo shot at Donnie, quoting what Splinter told him.

"Okay, I'm sorry." Donnie tried to apologise, until Mikey was at it again. Talking about his new 'human friend'.

"And then and then Chris Bradford put on his hakama. Man, that guy can rock a hakama!" Mikey told Raph, giddy with admiration and excitement.

"Yeah, maybe he'll wear it again when he takes you to the prom." Raph remarked with a sarcastic tone.

Of course, Mikey continued, "And then after that, he-"

Raph cut him off, "Oh, enough! You've been going on about this for three hours."

"Ooh, someone sounds jealous." Mikey smirked, "You just can't admit that you were the "R" word." Raph looked at him in slight confusion. "Rong?" Mikey finished.

"I'm not wrong." Raph defended.

"Oh, yeah? If you don't want to talk about my friend, I've got two other brothers who do." Mikey said, hugging Leo and Donnie.

"Actually, I'd rather talk about anything else." Leo admitted.

"Like the concept of the silent "W," perhaps?" Donnie included.

Mikey looked at me with a smile, "You like Chris Bradford, right Ellie?"

"I'm sorry, Mikey. But, I don't trust him." I told him.

Mikey pouted, "Fine. Heh, I'll go talk to a guy who likes to talk about Chris Bradford more than anyone else: Chris Bradford." Then, he made his way to the kick-boxing dojo down the street.

The rest of us made our way back to the Lair. Raph went into his room to feed Spike, Leo began sharpening his ninjutsu skills on the punching bag, Donnie returned to surfing the web, and I was in the dojo, trying to clear my head from my negative thoughts. But, no matter how hard I try, they just keep coming.

In my mind, a vision began to clear. An innocent, playful boy was hanging out with his three older brothers. Until he went off on his own. He meets a coyote. The coyote played nice with the boy, until a giant serpent of fire appeared and began to hunt down the boy. The boy tried to defend himself, but the coyote stabbed the boy in the back.

I snapped back into reality before anything else happened. The vision just kept getting worse. I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead and took a few deep breathes to calm myself down.

"Is something troubling you, my child?" I heard Splinter's voice from behind me.

I turned to him and faked a smile, "I'm alright, Sensei. Just trying to clear my head."

Master Splinter narrowed his eyes at me, "You are a terrible liar, Eleanor."

I frowned and sulked a little. I silently nodded my head. Splinter walked to his room, that was within the dojo. He looked back at me and motioned to tell me to follow him. I entered the room and sat in front of him.

Splinter looked at me with kind and concerned eyes, "Tell me. What is troubling you?"

I remained silent for a few seconds. A large cloud of thoughts entered my mind.

I sighed, I have to tell him what I think. "I don't trust Mikey's new friend, Sensei. Something about him clouds my mind in doubt and worry."

"Indeed. I also believe that there is more to it than that." Splinter said, then included.

I sulked a bit, "During my meditation, I had a vision of a boy trying to befriend a coyote. However the coyote backstabbed the boy and turned him over to a giant serpent. The... serpent... ate the boy." I told him.

Splinter stroked his beard in thought. He looked at me, "Do not hesitate to show your emotions, Eleanor. What you hide may be dangerous to those around you."

I sulked a little, "I wish it was as easy as you say, Sensei."

Splinter nodded. We made our way to the dojo and caught Leo sweep Raph with a technique I wished I would never see again. The Death Dragon Kata.

A vision of a Japanese man in black performing the kata on a Japanese man in white, my uncle, clouded my mind. Then, Uncle Yoshi was replaced by a younger version of myself and the man in black was replaced by the man in armor. Thunder clapped loudly in my mind. I blinked, snapping myself back to reality.

"Where did you learn that?" Splinter asked the boys. By the sound of his voice, Splinter was not happy to see the kata either.

"Mikey learned it from his new friend." Leo answered.

"The man who taught him that kata is no friend! It comes from the Shredder." Splinter explained.

The Turtles were shocked to learn this. "Shredder?" Donnie asked.

"You mean Bradford is one of his students?" Leo asked.

"He must be." Splinter answered with narrow eyes.

"So Bradford's just pretending to be Mikey's friend to get to you." Leo summarised, finally understanding.

"Ohh, what a relief! Everything makes sense again." Raph sighed with a relieved smile.

I thought for a second and gasped is shock, then my vision finally made sense. The boy was Mikey, the coyote was Bradford and the giant serpent was Shredder.

"Guys! Mikey's in trouble!" I told the brothers.

The brothers and I got our ninja gear together and made our way to the roof of the kick-boxing dojo, that Bradford was staying at. Donnie was chewing gum the entire way. Once he was done, he put the gum onto his contraption, a glassing-cutting gadget. He cut a circle into a window, removed the glass, and reached into the hole to unlock the window.

The Turtles and I silently made our way into the dojo and began taking down the ninjas, one-by-one. Once we were done, Mikey saw us and was relieved and happy.

"Dudes! That was sporadic!" He told us with a smile.

Raph, Leo and I shushed him to be quiet. Donnie face-palmed, "That's not what that means!"

Using a small knife, Leo cut Mikey free from his binds, patted his head and smiled. We were relieved that Bradford didn't harm Mikey.

Mikey stood up and threw his arms around me. This surprised me and his brothers. "I'm so sorry I didn't listen to you, Elle. You were right about Rad-Brad." He whimpered with his head over my shoulder.

I hugged Mikey back with a small smile, "Don't worry about it, Mikey. You're unharmed. That's all that matters."

After that heart-warming moment, a thought came to Raph. "So, how do we get back at Bradford?"

Leo and I looked at each other and smiled. "We've got a plan." Leo told Raph.

After explaining the plan to the others, the Turtles and I made our way back into the sewers and hid in the shadows, waiting for Bradford to follow us. After a few seconds, he did.

He was accompanied by a dark-skinned, Brazilian man, who I recognized as Xever, the kunoichi and a group of ninjas. As they advanced through the tunnels, looking for us, the Turtles and I began lowering the numbers one-by-one.

Once the group reached a main sewage system, Bradford noticed the numbers were lowing. When it was only Bradford, Xever and the kunoichi left, Xever lit up a flare signal and aimed it upward. The light revealed most of the ninjas hanging and out-cold.

"Show your faces!" Xever shouted. Leo and Raph appeared out of the water, while Mikey, Donnie and I emerged from the shadows. "They've trapped us!" Xever summarised.

"Take 'em down!" Bradford told Xever and the kunoichi.

Leo and Raph dashed and attacked Bradford, Mikey and Donnie went for Xever, and I went into combat with the Kunoichi. The boys weren't doing very good. As Bradford and Xever were too fast and were able to redirect their attacks. I was holding up quite well against the kunoichi. But, the more I fought her, the more familiar she began to feel.

Donnie clicked his fingers, indicating it was time to switch opponents. The boys switched and were doing a whole lot better. That they were able to corner them. I read the kunoichi's movements and began to counter and redirect the attacks right back at her.

I felt a smile behind her mask. "Not bad for a **反逆者** (Hangyaku-sha/Traitor)." She said.

Finally, I heard the kunoichi's voice. And it sounded just like... "No..." I grimaced as horror struck me like lightning. The kunoichi was my older sister, Sam. I thought she died with Mother. " **どうして** (Doshite/Why)?" I asked.

I couldn't fight my own sister, so I dropped my weapons. Sam took advantage of this and aimed to punch me into the wall, but Leo blocked her attack and threw her into Bradford and Xever.

Mikey made the call, "Hit it!"

Donnie and Leo turned the valve and a rapid river of raw sewage flowed through the tunnel and dragged Bradford, Xever and Sam deeper into the sewers. Along with Shredder's trio, my fear was washed away with them.

"Well, that didn't seem very fair." Raph joked, as soon as everything calmed.

"No, it wasn't." Leo smiled.

The boys and I laughed at the joke of winning an unfair fight.

Mikey raised his hand, "High three!"

The boys and I 'high-three'ed with Mikey. I knew my hand had five fingers. So, I improvised with the Spock hand sign.

A little later, the boys decided to celebrate with pizza in the lounge. However, my happiness was replaced with worry, so I couldn't eat. I think Splinter was worried too, because he was stroking his beard in thought. His eyes clouded with concern.

"Um, Sensei, Ellie, aren't you guys hungry?" Donnie asked, noticing we didn't touch a slice of pizza.

"I fear we are celebrating too soon." Splinter told his sons.

"I agree." I admitted.

"Too soon? The bad guys were swept away in a river of raw sewage. By my watch, that makes it the perfect time." Raph pointed out with a smile.

"Shredder knows I'm alive. And worse, he knows about all of you. It's my worst nightmare come true." Splinter said. Worry and fear was evident in his voice and his aura.

"So it's not over?" Leo asked.

Splinter shook his head, "Oh, no. It's just beginning."

This began to make me think. If Sam is alive and one of Shedder's students, then that means Oroku is planning his next move. And when that happens, Splinter, the boys and I need to be ready for him. Hopefully, I should be able to sleep peacefully tonight.

I hope...


	5. I Think His Name is Baxter Stockman

I Think His Name is Baxter Stockman.

 **Eleanor's POV.**

Another day, another chance to reflect on what I've learned in the past few days. Sam is alive and has become an elite member of Shredder's clan of ninjas. My nightmare's of the attacks have grown worse. And still no sign of the Kraang or where Kirby is. I'm starting to get really worried.

I lied on my bed, with Mulan sleeping on my stomach, reading one of my favorite comics. As soon as I got half-way through the comic, my laptop signaled that a friend was messaging me. The sound caused Mulan to wake up with a startle and growl at the laptop.

I picked Mulan up from my stomach and put her on my shoulder. I stood up, put the comic book back on the shelf and made my way to my computer. I sat down and checked my inbox. The title said it was urgent. I scrolled down a bit to see the sender. It was from Donatello. I clicked the e-mail and read the messege.

 _Ellie,_

 _I know it's a bit late, but you have got to come to the Lair as soon as you can. I've built something that will blow your mind._

 _Donatello._

I closed my laptop, put Mulan back into her tank, got my ninja gear ready and made my way to my open window. Before I climbed out, I looked at my green bandana. It was the last gift given to me by my former Sensei. I put my bandana into my backpack, climbed out the window and made my way to the Turtles' Lair.

As I jumped over buildings and dashed up walls, a thought came to me. Why did Donnie e-mail me? He could've just come and tell me in person. I guess I could ask him when I get there.

I reached a familiar manhole, climbed down into the sewers and made my way to the Turtles' Lair. When I arrived, I've never seen such boredom in my life. Leo was sitting on the couch, Mikey was reading a comic book, and Raph was pacing back and forth.

"What happened to you guys?" I asked.

"Master Splinter grounded us for a week." Leo answered.

I tilted my head in slight confusion, "Why? What did you do?"

"Take a wild guess." Raph replied as he paced and groaned in boredom.

I thought for a second and looked at Mikey. "You tried that skateboard stunt, didn't you, Mikey?"

Mikey sat up in surprise, "How did you know?"

I shrugged, "Just a hunch."

Raph groaned and sighed, "This bites! I can't believe we're stuck down here for a whole week!"

From the toll gates, Donnie ran in, "Guys, guys!" He called, then saw me, "Ellie, you're here! Good. You wanna see what I made?"

Raph looked at his brothers and I, "This is how bored I am." He looked Donnie, "Yes, Donnie. I do."

"Ok, ok, ok! Remember the other day, I was scrounging in that military junkyard?" Donnie asked with an excited grin on his face.

"No." His brothers answered in unison.

"Well, I found an incredibly advanced A.I. microchip, made from, get this, self-assembled chain-linked copolymers!" Donnie replied.

Mikey smiled, "That's my favorite kind of copolymer!"

Leo and I looked at Mikey with raised eyebrows. In simple terms, a copolymer is a chain of chemicals that creates the elements in the periodic table.

"Mine too! And I used it to make this." Donnie grinned and showed us a small device that had options of a music player, "The most advanced music player in the world."

Donnie's brothers stared in awe, "Whoa."

I giggled in amazement, "Wow."

Donnie activated the music player, "So who wants to try it?"

Mikey immediately raised his hand, "I do! Toss me the T-pod."

Donnie raised an eyebrow, "The T-pod?"

"Turtle. Pod. T-pod." Mikey explained, then smiled, "I am so good at naming stuff."

Donnie gave Mikey the T-Pod and he inserted the earphones into his ears. Leo, Donnie, Raph and I took a step back.

Raph looked at Donnie with a raised eyebrow, "You're really gonna plug an advanced piece of military technology directly into Mikey's head? What if it melts his brain?"

Donnie smiled with confidence, "It won't. And even if it did, who'd know the difference?"

Mikey pressed the play button. Suddenly, he screamed in agony. His scream startled his brothers and I.

"What? What's wrong?" Donnie asked out of worry.

"It's polka! Make it stop! Make it stop!" Mikey shouted in desperation.

Donnie walked over and pressed the 'next' button. Mikey smiled, "Thanks."

Mikey suddenly started listening to the music of the next song. He seemed to like the tune because he started dancing. Must be electronica music or techno.

Raph waved his hands in defeat and began walking toward the toll gates, "That's it. I gotta get out of here."

Leo noticed and followed him, leaving Donnie and I to watch Mikey dance, "Where are you going? We're grounded."

"I don't care. I gotta do something or I'm gonna go nuts!" Raph replied. He picked up his skateboard and looked at his brothers and I, "Let's find a skate spot!"

"Skate spot? I'm totally in!" Mikey shouted with a smile, then resumed dancing.

"But what's Splinter gonna say?" Leo asked in worry.

"I don't know what's going on, because they snuck out while I was asleep." Raph answered, mimicking Master Splinter's voice.

Leo chuckled in sarcasm, "Real mature." Then he turned serious, "But I'm your leader. And as your leader, I say nobody's going."

"Well as your followers, we're going anyway." Raph argued.

"Well as your leader, I'm going with you. To lead you. Away from bad stuff." Leo replied, trying to think of what to say.

I lightly giggled. Raph just performed reverse psychology on his own brother.

Suddenly, Mikey screamed again and fell to his knees.

"What's wrong?" Leo asked his youngest brother.

"It's back to polka! We've got to get some more tunes on this!" Mikey answered with a pout.

A thought came to me as I looked at the T-Pod. "Hey, Mikey? Can I give the T-Pod a little look, while you guys get your boards?"

"Yeah, sure." Mikey answered, giving me the T-Pod.

The boys went into their rooms, to get their skateboards. I sat on the coach and began slightly tinkering with the T-Pod, lightly sulking while I was at it. I don't have a skateboard of my own. Wanted one ever since I was five, but I never got one. 'Not a girl's toy'.

The boys got their skateboards and made their way to the toll gates. I finished tinkering with the T-Pod and gave it back to Mikey. I felt a hand being placed on my right shoulder. I looked over my left shoulder and saw Leo's concerned face.

"You're not coming?" He asked.

I shook my head, "I... don't have a skateboard."

Mikey frowned, "Aw man. That's rough, Ellie."

"Shame we don't have a spare." Donnie included, rubbing the back of his neck.

I smiled, "It's alright. Besides, you guys need someone to keep an eye on Master Splinter, in case he wakes up."

Raph, Donnie and Mikey smiled at my idea. Leo looked at me with concern, "You sure you're gonna be alright?"

I smiled and waved my hand, "I'll be fine. You guys go and have fun. Just be sure to stay on the rooftops and be back before sunrise."

Leo nodded with a small smile and joined his brothers. The brothers made their way to the train tracks, and a thought came to me. "Don't lose the T-Pod, Mikey!" I called, but the boys were already gone.

I sighed and began to sharpen my ninjutsu skills of the Chu Gar Praying Mantis style with the dummy.

I was practicing for a few hours, until heard a familiar voice speak from behind me, "You have very impressive skills, Eleanor."

I stopped the punching bag from swinging toward me, turned around and saw it was Master Splinter.

I bowed in respect, " **ありがとう** (Arigato/Thank you), Splinter-sama."

Master Splinter looked around and noticed how quiet it is in the Lair.

"Do you know where my sons are?" He asked me.

I thought for a few seconds, "They're doing their own thing." That wasn't a whole lie, neither is it the whole truth. But, Master Splinter understood with a nod.

"May I speak to you in the dojo?" He asked.

I nodded and followed him into the dojo. Master Splinter sat in front of the tree. I sat in front of him.

"If you do not mind me asking, how long have you been learning ninjutsu?" Splinter asked me with a raised eyebrow.

I tried to think back as far as I can. "As far as I can remember, Sensei. My mother was one of the greatest martial artists. She trained alongside her older brother and childhood friend. So, I thought I'd keep up the legacy." I answered honestly.

Splinter nodded in understanding and stroked his beard, "Did your mother teach you?"

I looked away from him, trying to hold back my tears, but the tears couldn't stay where I wanted them to stay. I wanted to tell him, but my heart ached too much.

I fought back the tears, calmed myself down and sulked, " **ごめんなさい** (Gomen'nasai/I'm sorry). I don't want to talk about it right now."

Splinter nodded in understanding. Realising how late it was getting, Splinter and I decided to hit the hay. Splinter slept in his room and I decided to sleep in the lounge, on the couch. Tears fell down my cheeks, as I laid my head on the cushions. My eyelids slowly fell as I was taken away to Dream World.

* * *

 **Leonardo's POV.**

After defeating a strange man in an amature battle armor, my brothers and I quietly made our way back home. We returned using the water-way, much more quieter than the toll gates. I rose from the water and Master Splinter was nowhere in sight. I looked at the couch and Ellie was sleeping soundly.

"We made it home!" Raph smiled, as he jumped out of the water.

"Shh! It's 2:00 A.M." I quietly snapped at him.

"And Splinter's still asleep. This is epic." Mikey grinned.

"It's not epic. It was a really bad idea." I told him. The guilt I felt from the idea was hitting my stomach quite hard.

"No, it wasn't." Raph argued. He flipped onto the nearest bean-bag chair before continuing, "We got out there and stomped a sleazeball. So what's the problem?"

The room went silent for a few moments, until Donnie slightly yawned, "I think it's time we hit the sack."

The rest of us agreed and made our way to our rooms. I walked by Ellie and couldn't help but notice how peaceful she looked. Unfortunately, her peaceful look faded into a troubled look. Either she was having a nightmare, or she was getting cold.

Thinking quickly, I got a blanket from one of the spare bedrooms the Lair had, and gently threw it over Ellie's delicate figure. Her face looked less troubled, but was still troubled. Tears began falling down her cheeks.

For some reason, I couldn't bare to see her hurting like this. So, I gently placed my hand over Ellie's head and stroked her hair. Ellie's hair felt silky and soft, like it was made from spider silk. I felt my face heated up and my heart beated faster. What I don't understand is why she bottles up all this sadness. Before she woke up, I made my way to my room and went to sleep.

* * *

 _ ***The next day...***_

 **Eleanor's POV.**

This morning, the boys were back. But, they weren't looking so good. Master Splinter instructed that the Turtles and I perform a **後方転回** (Koho Tenkai/Behind rotation).

The boys weren't doing well. Raph was just rolling around the dojo. Leo tried to do a hand-stand, which starts the technique, but his stance was too loose.

"Knees higher, Leonardo!" Master Splinter told Leo, as Leo fell on his head and... took a snooze? "Extend, Michelangelo!" Splinter instructed Mikey, who was just jumping around on his back. "Raphael, you call that a **後方転回**? Because I do not!" Splinter told Raph, as he rolled by.

Donnie flipped in mid-air, but his landing was very rough. What was wrong with these boys? They were behaving like they've been awake nearly all night.

" **止め** (Yame/Stop)!" Splinter shouted.

The boys recovered and joined me, in line, to listen to Master Splinter.

"Is there something you want to tell me?" Splinter asked his sons.

"Something we wanna tell you? Nope." Mikey asked, then answered with a smile.

"You all seem tired." Splinter pointed out.

"We're not." Leo quickly answered.

"Wide awake." Donnie said with a smile.

"Fresh as daisies." Raph agreed.

Splinter gave his sons a look. Mikey yawned and toppled over, falling asleep.

"So you would not object to a little Randori." Splinter proposed, with his bokken ready.

The boys flinched. Splinter swung his bokken and was able to hit his sons, who were too tired to dodge or counter.

"Well I hope you have learned, turtles, that truth isn't the only thing that hurts." Splinter told the Turtles.

After a brief training exercise, and the boys were able to catch up on their sleep, the Turtles and I were able to kick back and relax. Leo switched on the television and Space Heroes was on. The episode was a rerun. Leo was watching the episode with a cute smile. I couldn't help but smile myself. I'm not the only one that likes Space Heroes.

"Captain Ryan! The rebellion is growing! We have to get off this planet!" Mr. Crenshaw reported to Captain Ryan.

"No!" Captain Ryan answered.

"But, Captain-" Crenshaw began to panick, but Captain Ryan slapped him across the face.

"I said no! We may have started this rebellion by accident, but by the rings of Nebulon, we are going to finish it on purpose!" Captain Ryan said in herosism. Leo mimicked his words exactly.

"Aye, sir!" The crew and I said. Leo looked at me in surprise. I smiled at him and shrugged. He smiled back at me and returned to the television.

"Seen this enough times there, chief?" Raph asked, sitting on the bean-bag chair, reading his comic book.

"Would you shh! This is the best part." Leo told Raph.

Captain Ryan lifted his ray-gun with a smile, and then the program switched to the news broadcast, "We interrupt this program to bring you breaking news."

Leo and I groaned in disappointment. But, the news footage caught our attention.

"We've received shocking footage of an assault on the TCRI office complex in Brooklyn." The news reporter announced, as the footage played.

An African American man, in a large robotic suit, was attacking the offices of the building. Everyone was running and screaming in terror. I tilted my head a little. The man looked very familiar. And there was something on his armor that felt like it didn't belong to him.

"At last, I will have my revenge!" The man shouted, in a slight robotic voice.

"Who- who are you?" The man behind the camera asked.

"You'll never know. I'm the thing that haunts your nightmares! I'm the nameless shadow who-" The man in the suit answered, but began to ramble.

"Baxter?" Another man, who was hiding under his desk, asked.

"No." The man in the suit answered in his normal voice. My eyes widen in shock.

"Baxter Stockman?" The man under the desk recognised.

"No!" The man in the suit, Baxter Stockman, answered, looking away.

The man smiled and pointed at Baxter, "Hey, everybody! It's Baxter Stockman!"

Everyone in the footage began laughing at Baxter.

"I think his name is Baxter Stockman." Raph said, pointing out the obvious.

* * *

( **A/N: *Laughs* He said it! He said it!** )

* * *

I tilted my head with a raised eyebrow, "Baxter Stockman?"

The boys looked at me. "You know him?" Leo asked me.

"He used to work with my father, and was my baby-sitter for a time." I answered, saying the last part in a low and deadpan tone. Then something came to me, "Wait, you guys know him too?"

"We met him last night." Leo answered.

"He was gonna break into a building, so we beat him up." Raph explained.

"That explains why you guys were so tired." I summarized, folding my arms.

The boys and I returned to the footage to see what Baxter was gonna do next.

"Is this because I fired you?" The boss of the building asked.

"That copy machine was already broken when I-" Baxter tried to explain, but got back into his 'character', "I mean, I don't know what you're talking about!"

"How did he upgrade his armor so fast?" Leo wondered. Then I noticed it.

Baxter returned to his rampage and the footage ended.

"Guys, on his chest." I alerted the Turtles. With the remote, I made the footage go back a frame and paused it at a close-up of the armor's chest, where a familiar, round device can be seen, "Isn't that-?"

The boys' faces turned to shock as they noticed. Donnie turned to Mikey, "He has the T-pod?"

"Oh, um... I might have dropped that during the fight." Mikey answered, smiling sheepishly.

"You dropped it during the fight? Nice goin', Mikey!" Donnie shouted with an angry glare.

"It's your fault!" Mikey argued.

"How is it my fault?" Donnie asked.

"You know I can't be trusted with nice things!" Mikey shouted.

That only made Donnie mad, as he glared with a snarl.

I gave Mikey an angry glare myself, "Bad move, Michelangelo!"

"So the A.I. chip is upgrading his armor the same way it upgraded the T-pod?" Leo wondered.

"It seems that way." I answered.

"And if it keeps going, there's no telling how powerful he'll get." Donnie alerted.

"This has gone way too far. We have to tell Splinter about this." Leo told us. I nodded in agreement.

"What? That we turned some nutjob into a super villain? Do you know what he'll do to us for that? I mean, he pounded us into the ground just for being sleepy!" Raph asked, then explained.

"But, this time we'll be telling the truth." I spoke up. Raph just gave me a look and I kept quiet.

"Look, we beat Stockman once, we can beat him again. We track him down, grab the T-pod, and get back here before Splinter knows anything." Donnie told us and planned out.

"If my opinion counts for anything, Donnie's right." Mikey spoke up, sitting up-side down on the bean-bag chair and reading his comic book.

"Hey, thanks, Mikey. But it doesn't." Donnie smiled, but his smile faded on the last part.

"Didn't think so." Mikey commented.

"But, how are we able to track the T-Pod down?" Leo pointed out.

I thought for a second and got my cell phone out of my pocket. I activated my phone and it showed a map of New York with a blinking sea green light on an abandoned warehouse twelve blocks north west from the Lair.

Donnie noticed and asked, "What is that?"

I smiled and showed the Turtles the app. "When you guys were grabbing your skateboards, last night. I installed a GPS marker on the T-Pod. Incase it got lost or stolen. I also uploaded an app, on my phone, that allows me to track down anything with my specific GPS marker in it." I explained.

Donnie smiled and threw his arms around me. Yeah, I know. I'm as much of a geek as Donnie and Leo are. Make fun of me all you want. Nerds will be appreciated someday.

The boys and I got our ninja gear and quietly made our way to the city. This time, I was coming with them. Following my GPS app, we found the abandoned warehouse and landed upon the roof.

The Turtles and I looked through the window and saw Baxter sitting in the center and was looking like he was thinking of a name for himself. We quietly made our way inside and surrounded Baxter.

"I'm not Baxter Stockman. I am 'the Baxman'!" Baxter began with his names, "No, no. I am- I am 'the Suitinator'!" Baxter thought for a second and shook his head, "Aw, that's terrible!" He tried again, 'Captain Punch-You-Hard'!" Then shook his head again and sobbed, "Why is this so difficult?"

"I kinda liked 'the Suitinator'." Mikey said, breaking the silence.

Baxter heard Mikey's voice and saw the rest of us, "You guys again?"

I smiled at Baxter, "Long time, no see, Baxter."

He looked at me and was surprised, "Eleanor? You're with these freaks?"

"All right, Stockman. Nobody wants to hurt you." Leo told him.

Raph looked at Leo, "We don't? Did I miss a meeting?"

"We just want the T-pod." Leo finished his negociation with Baxter.

"Give up my source of power? Why? So you can laugh at me again? Throw me in a dumpster?" Baxter asked with anger flaring in his aura and clear in his eyes.

Leo, Donnie, Mikey and I stared at Stockman in slight shock and confusion. Is that what the fuss is really about? Being laughed at and getting thrown into a dumpster?

Raph growled, then smiled, "Sounds good to me."

Thinking head-first, Raph dashed toward Stockman. Stockman power-punched him into a wall, which cracked on impact and covered Raph with a small pile of rubble. The rest of us tried to gang-up on Baxter, but Baxter stretched his arms out at Mikey and Donnie. His arms caught the boys and threw them back into the walls behind them. Stockman aimed for Leo next, but Leo dodged the arm and sliced it off. Stockman used the other arm, but I cut it off with my tanto.

Stockman laughed as his arms grew back in a matter of seconds. Like a robotic Snakeweed.

"What the-?" Leo wondered. Suddenly, a drone jumped onto Leo's head and blinded him. Leo screamed and started running around, "Get it off! Get it off!"

Donnie and Raph got out of their piles of rubble. The drone noticed them and shot red lasers at them and myself. Luckily, we jumped out of the way. We got our weapons ready, but the drone shot them out of our hands.

"Lasers!" Donnie yelped.

The drone shocked Leo with red electrical currents and Leo began running toward us. Donnie, Raph and I ran away from him to stay clear from the lasers. I tried to deflect or block the lasers with my tanto, but the drone got lucky and shot my glasses off my eyes, and Leo accidently stepped on them, breaking them. That's terrific. And I just got them re-adjusted. I felt Donnie grab my hand and lead me to cover.

"Incoming!" Donnie yelled, as he, Raph and I jumped behind a small wall of rubble.

"What now, genius?" Raph asked.

Donnie looked ahead and noticed something. With Raph's help, Donnie lifted up a sheet of glass and the drone shot at the glass. The laser deflected off the glass, and bounced off some other surfaces, until it hit the drone and sliced it in half.

Leo re-adjusted his mask and smiled, "Thanks." Then, he noticed me without my specs. "What happened to your glasses, Ellie?"

I pointed to the ground, where what was left of my glasses were. Leo scratched the back of his head with sheepish apologetic smile. I simply shrugged. They're just glasses. I could get a new pair in the morning. Stockman's laugh brought us back to the fight.

Stockman had Mikey dangling from his own Kusarigama. Stockman threw Mikey at Raph, who caught him. Leo used his katana to cut the chain and free Mikey. Donnie tried to attack Stockman with his retractable blade, but Stockman caught the staff and snapped it into pieces.

The Turtles and I tried a group attack on Stockman, but he was able to take us all down. He picked us up, walked out of the warehouse, through a wall, and threw us into the nearest dumpster.

"Foolish Turtles! Did you really think you could defeat me?" Stockman laughed, then asked.

"Well, yeah." Mikey answered.

"All my life, people have laughed at me. The other kids in school, my co-workers, the woman who fixes the copy machine! How was I supposed to know you don't pour toner in the top? But when they behold the power of this suit, they won't be laughing anymore! They'll tremble in terror!" Stockman monologued, until the T-Pod on his chest glowed a bright red.

The robotic armor merged with Stockman, creating a large cybornetic entity. Unfortunately, I could only see very badly blurred and fogged images, so I can't tell you what the armor looks like now.

"What's happening?" Leo asked.

"Stockman and the T-pod. They're merging. They're becoming one single entity." Donnie answered with fear evident in his voice.

"The Stockmanpod." Mikey named the entity.

I bit my lower lip in slight panic, "This is gonna hurt."

The panic got the best of the boys as they quickly climbed out of the dumpster and dashed down the streets. Leo had hold of my hand, so I wouldn't get lost. Stockman followed us, and was right on our tail.

"The Stockmanpod's right on top of us!" Mikey shouted.

"Stop calling him that! That's a stupid name!" Raph told Mikey.

"Split up! He can't follow us all!" Leo instructed.

"No way! He's gonna follow me!" Mikey objected.

"Why would he follow you?" I asked him.

"They always follow me!" He answered, looking behind to see that Stockman was getting closer.

"Stop being paranoid and just do it!" Leo told Mikey.

The Turtles and I did what Leo said and split up into different streets. Leo still had hold of my hand, so I had to join him. Stockman was only left with Mikey. Huh, turns out he was right about something. Guess there's a first for everything. Hehe.

"I told you he was gonna follow me!" Mikey screamed as he dashed off with Stockman close behind him.

Leo and I opened the closest manhole and made our way down the sewers, to meet up with the others. Donnie and Raph were able to find us within a few seconds. Mikey was taking a bit longer, but he found us eventualy. We quietly made our way back to the Lair, well tried to stay quiet anyway.

Until the lights were switched on and I saw a tall, brown and red blur standing a few feet in front of us.

"Sensei!" Leo greeted in alarm. The blur was Master Splinter? Uh-oh.

"And where have you been?" Splinter asked, with a raised eyebrow.

"Nowhere." Raph answered blandly.

"How did you get so hurt?" Splinter asked, noticing our bruises and cuts.

"Oh! That! Um, well, we were um-" Leo tried to think of a good lie, but came short.

"Hit-" Raph helped, covering his left eye.

"By a-" Donnie tried to finish.

"Bus?" Mikey finished with a smile.

Master Splinter raised an eyebrow, not believing their story.

"Hit by a bus?" Donnie whispered to Mikey.

"Well, what was I supposed to say? Meteor? Cow? Flying building?" Mikey asked. Donnie glared at Mikey and Mikey shot a glare back. Leo face-palmed.

"Enough!" Master Splinter shouted, hitting the ground with his cane. The boys and I stood up and stood still. Master Splinter's aura was filled with fatherly concern, "Tell me what happened."

The boys looked at each other. I sighed. No use of hiding the truth now. "We might need to take this in the Dojo, Sensei."

Splinter nodded.

* * *

 _ ***A little later...***_

"And then I threw hot cheese in his face and ran away." Mikey finished the story of what happened to us with Stockman.

"Very resourceful, Michelangelo. But I'm still highly disappointed in you all. The first rule of being a ninja is 'do no harm.' Unless you mean to do harm. Then do lots of harm." Master Splinter told us, in praise of Mikey's smart thinking, then in disappointment of the boys sneaking out, and at me for lying to him.

"You're right, Sensei. I guess we did make a mess of things." Leo said in an honest tone.

"So what do you think would be a fitting punishment?" Master Splinter asked him.

Leo thought for a second, then looked at his teacher in the eye, "We need to clean up our mess."

"Yes. You must stop this 'Stockmanpod'." Splinter agreed.

"But, Sensei, that guy's already kicked our shells. And now he's even more powerful. How are we supposed to stop him?" Donnie pointed out, then asked.

"I know! I'll hit him really hard!" Raph answered, punching his hand.

"Brute force is not the answer. You will need to rely on your ninja training." Splinter informed us.

"Excuse me, Sensei, but ninjas never had to go up against guys in armor." Mikey objected.

Splinter gave Mikey a look. I face-palmed.

He looked behind Master Splinter and saw paintings of a group of ninjas fighting a large samurai warrior. I remember those painting very well.

"I mean ninjas always had to go up against guys in armor." Mikey corrected his mistake.

"Nice save." Raph said to Mikey.

"Sensei, what was their secret?" Leo asked Splinter.

"They understood that you do not fight the armor. You fight the man inside." Splinter answered, showing us that last painting that showed the ninjas winning the battle and the spirit, man, that was within the armor fleeing.

The boys looked at each other, understanding how to defeat Stockman. Mikey looked in confusion.

"Why are we all looking at each other?" He asked, as his brothers and I just sighed.

After recovering, the boys and I got our ninja gear ready and made our way to the toll gates. However, Leo stopped me, by placing his hand over my shoulder, when I got to the stairs. I could tell it was Leo by the aura I felt off him.

"Sorry, Elle. You can't come with us this time." He told me.

"Why not? I know Stockmanpod more than you guys do. And you guys need me out there." I asked, then tried to point out.

"Without your glasses, your eyesight is pretty bad. You could get yourself hurt. Or worse." Donnie explained.

I nodded in understanding. Donnie did have a point. During our way back, I mistaken Raph for a large beetle. Startle and instinct kicked in and I gave him a swift kick in the shell. I quickly apologised after realizing it was just him.

"Well... At least let me give you a small word of advice." I suggested.

The boys nodded. I walked over to Leo and whispered something about Stockman into his ear. He looked at me a little bit confused, then his confusion cleared, and he smiled. He and his brothers dashed out of the Lair and made their way to the city to fight Stockman.

"What did you tell them, Eleanor?" I heard Splinter ask from behind me.

I shrugged my shoulders, "Just something to help them with their battle."

Splinter nodded in understanding. Then a thought came to him, "Why did you wear glasses before?"

"Well, I was born with myopia." I told him. He looked at me in slight confusion. "Nearsightedness, Sensei." I simplified for him before continuing, "So, I have to wear glasses to help me see. If I don't wear them, I can't see a thing. Everything around me is so blurred and dark that I can't tell from friend or foe."

"I see. Eleanor, I think that for today's training, I will teach you how to use your skills without any visual aid." Splinter said, then proposed.

I felt a four-fingered hand gently grab my arm and lead me to the dojo. I was able to recognize the directions, because of my memory. As I said before, I have incredible memory.

"Now, as you know, a ninja's most powerful weapon is the shadows. However, even a ninja can have trouble when exposed to the light. That is when we use our other senses to lead the way." Master Splinter told me, as I felt something being tied around my head.

I touched my face to find that Master Splinter blindfolded me with a piece of cloth. Now, all I can see is literally pitch black.

"Now, listen closely to the silence around you, and try to read my movements." He instructed.

I took a deep breath and listened closely. I could hear everything around me. The tree's leaves rustling, the rats from the water system, and Master Splinter's footsteps.

Suddenly, I heard a change in pacing of the silence. I got into a defensive fighting stance and blocked a punch. I countered and threw an attack myself. Splinter blocked and aimed to punch me again. I grabbed his fist this time.

The moment his fist touched my hand, I saw something coming into focus within the darkness of the blindfold.

It was the Japanese garden house from my dreams. The family was inside, having fun. There were smiles and laughter. Until, in a flash of light, everything was engulfed into flames. The man, holding his wife in his arms, screamed in anguish and anger. His face... His voice... It sounded like...

I gasped in shock and tears welled up in my eyes, "I... I thought... I thought you were dead..."

"Huh?..." Splinter asked in confusion.

I removed the blindfold and looked at Master Splinter. In front of me was the man I thought to be dead. I knew there was something familiar about his eyes. Before Mother died, she always told me I had my uncle's eyes. I took off my choker and gave it to Splinter.

Splinter took the choker and opened the locket. The music started playing. He gasped as he saw the photos.

"My sister, Leiko. And her family. I thought they all died in a fire." Master Splinter explained in surprise.

Master Splinter closed the locket and threw his arms around me. I returned the hug with tears running down my cheeks.

Miyamoto-Sensei was right. My uncle, Hamato Yoshi, was alive. And a rat. Heheh.

My mother did tell me Uncle Yoshi was as sneaky and quick as a rat. Call me silly, but I think rats are cool.

Our reunion was broken by the sound of laughter, indicating the boys were back from defeating Stockman and the T-Pod.

"How did it go?" I asked.

"The plan went amazingly. Your advice was just what we needed." Leo answered with a smile.

"Well done, tell us what happened." Splinter smiled.

The boys told us about how they defeated Stockman with distraction and bees. Brilliant strategy to take down a mighty opponent. Yet, very unfortunate for the T-Pod. But, it's better to be broken than to be used again.

"You all showed wisdom and great skill in defeating the Stockmanpod. I am proud of you all." Splinter said with a smile.

"Does this mean we're not grounded anymore?" Leo asked.

Splinter stroked his beard in thought, the smiled, "Yes." The boys smiled in relief. Then, Splinter's smile turned into a smirk, as he got his bokken, "But first; Randori!"

The boys ran from Master Splinter and I chuckled.

Man, I love this family.


	6. Metalhead

Metalhead.

 **Eleanor's POV.**

Hello, viewers. Sorry, you've caught the Turtles and myself at a bad time. April gave us intel on a Kraang sighting inside an abandoned warehouse. No, not the same one that was involved with Spider Bytes. Another one that's close to Brooklyn.

We were able to stop their plans, but now, we're locked in combat with the Kraang. The Kraang were firing their guns at us, and we were trying our best to avoid the lasers and take them down.

"Keep moving. Don't let them surround you. Failure is not an option." Leo instructed, as he dodged the lasers aimed at him.

"Technically, failure is always an option." Donnie said, matter-of-fact.

"You know what else is an option? Slapping you!" Raph told Donnie.

Some of the Kraang began firing their guns at Donnie and Raph. They seperated and ran for cover.

"Mikey! On the right!" Donnie told Mikey, who was still running.

"Your right or my right?" Mikey asked, until he looked at his right and saw two Kraangdroids firing ther weapons at him.

Mikey yelped and ran for cover. Donnie took advantange of the distraction and hit the blue Kraangdroid with his staff. But, his staff had no effect on the alien-controlled robot.

"Are you kidding me? I hate this thing!" Donnie shouted in frustration, looking at his staff.

The Kraangdroid looked at Donnie and aimed its gun at him. Until a sai flew into its head, which made it freeze up. Raph tackled it to the ground and used his sais to remove its head.

Raph looked at Donnie, "Nice work. When we're done here, there's a marching band that needs a majorette."

Donnie looked at his staff and then ran for cover, as more Kraang began firing their weapons. Leo, Raph and I were taking down the Kraang with no problem. Leo had his katanas, Raph had his sais, and I used kunai knives and my katanas.

"Kraang, the present is being a positive time to be the testing of the energy cannon." One of the Kraang suggested.

Two Kraangdroids opened the large garage doors and a large, futuristic cannon was being driven out into the battle. The boys and I continued to defeat the Kraang, until we noticed the cannon.

"Everyone, stand your ground!" Leo told us. We obeyed, until the cannon began charging, then Leo changed his mind, "On second thought, run!"

The cannon fired hot pink energy at us, and we tried our best to dodge every blast. Donnie ducked, but his staff wasn't so lucky.

"Oh, come on!" Donnie shouted in irratation.

"Dude, your weapon just exploded!" Mikey joked.

Donnie dodged an energy blast from the cannon and hid behind a group of creates. "How am I supposed to fight advanced alien technology with a stupid stick?!" He shouted in annoyance and frustration.

Leo, Raph, Mikey and I were able to defeat more Kraang, until the only ones left were the Kraang around the cannon. We backed ourselves against a wall. We had nowhere to run. We stood our ground, ready for the next move.

"Kraang, destroy those, who call themselves the Turtles and the one known as Eleanor Hamato, when that, which is the signal, is the signal that is given by me!" One of the blue Kraangdroids told the Kraang that was piloting the cannon.

Leo threw a shuriken star at the fork-lift, that was beside the Kraang, and it hit the controls. The fork-lift sped toward the Kraang and the cannon, and defeated them in an explosion.

The boys and I exit the warehouse through an open window. Donnie, however, stayed behind for I-don't-know-what reason. I never ask.

"Dumb luck." Raph said with a smile.

Leo looked at Raph with a confident grin, "Wasn't luck, my friend. And dumb had nothing to do with it."

Donnie was finally out the window, but he looked like he was having trouble with something. "Hey, give me a hand with this." He told us.

"A hand with what?" Leo asked.

Donnie gave us a look, unsure how to explain.

* * *

 _ ***A little later...***_

Raph and Donnie were able to get Donnie's 'souvenir' out of the window, it was the top-half of an empty Kraangdroid. Now, they were dragging the droid toward the manhole, that lead to the Lair.

"We're carrying this thing because why?" Raph wondered out-loud.

"Don't you want to understand how these things work?" Donnie asked.

"I know how they work. You hit them till the brainy toy surprise pops out." Raph answered.

Mikey removed the manhole covering.

"That's your problem, Raph. You never think things through." Donnie replied, picking up the droid and dropped it into the hole. However, it didn't go through.

"Was that supposed to fit?" Raph asked.

Donnie looked at the droid and gave it a few kicks and stomps. The droid didn't move.

I supressed a giggle and gave the droid a good stomp. The droid fell to the bottom and the arms fell off. I didn't mean to do that.

The boys looked at me and I just blushed in embarrassment, "Oops."

* * *

 _ ***Again, a little later...***_

The Turtles and I were able to get the droid into the Lair. April was waiting for us in the living area. Oh, I forgot to say, Donnie invited April to stay in the Lair for the day. Seems better than just waiting in an apartment to get kidnapped again.

Donnie began taking the droid apart and analyzing each piece, "This technology is light-years ahead of anything I've ever seen!" He removed a piece that looked somewhat of a hair-clip and showed it to April, "Do you know what this is?"

April kept her eyes on her laptop, "No." She answered.

"Neither do I! But I can't wait to find out!" Donnie replied with a grin.

Master Splinter walked in, carrying a new bo-staff for Donnie.

"Look, Spike. Donnie got another stick to break." Raph said to his pet turtle.

"With all due respect, Sensei, I can't keep fighting alien technology with a 6-foot staff. I was hoping to upgrade my weapon." Donnie suggested to Master Splinter.

Splinter smiled in thought, "A 7-foot staff. Interesting."

"No, I meant using modern technology." Donnie replied.

"Aah, a solar-powered staff." Splinter lightly joked.

"I'm serious, Sensei." Donnie growled lightly.

"I know. And yes, you may upgrade your weapon." Splinter answered.

"That's totally unfair! You can't just-" Donnie began to rant, until he realized what his teacher just said, "Wait, did you say yes?"

"Ninjas have improved their arsenal for centuries. We are masters of adaptation." Splinter answered.

"That is great! 'Cause with this technology, I will be invincible!" Donnie smiled with excitement, then started wondering, "What should I make? Electric sais? Multi-shot shuriken? Plasma swords!"

An idea hit me with Donnie's weapon ideas, "What about a high-tech staff?"

* * *

( **A/N: Donnie's weapon in the Fast Foward season.** )

* * *

Donnie looked at me with a grin, "That's a great idea, Ellie!" Then he shuddered with excitement, "I just gave myself goosebumps." He showed his muscles to April, "You wanna feel? Eh?"

April looked at him, then back to her computer, "Pass."

"But remember, technology is a means, not an end. It is you who must prevail in battle, not your weapon. Combat is not a video game." Splinter reminded Donnie, as Donnie began to drag the droid into his lab.

"That's it! I'll turn combat into a video game! Thanks, Sensei." Donnie said with a smile. He entered his lab and closed the door behind him.

* * *

 _ ***A little later...***_

Donnie was in his lab for quite a while. April was still on her laptop. Raph and Leo were playing the hockey arcade game. Mikey was sleeping on the tire swing. And I was sitting next to Leo, watching the game.

As I watched, I was deep in thought about how I was able to stomp the droid down like that. I'm not that strong. My legs are very weak. And the ground lightly shook. It was like the earth had my back.

"Hey guys! Check out this post I got." April called, breaking my train of thought.

"Hang on, April, I just have to destroy Lame-o-nardo." Raph answered, as he continued the game.

Leo and Raph were neck-in-neck. Until Raph pulled a move and defeated Leo by one point. Raph did his victory dance and pushed Leo aside.

"Cheap shot, Raph." I said, as Leo recovered from the hit and Raph made his way to April.

"So what's up?" Raph asked, as he sat beside April.

Leo sat opposite of Raph, slapping the back of his head. I sat behind April.

"I set up a message board to collect unusual sightings around New York. People send in pics, videos. I also get some stuff that may help us track the Kraang and find my Dad. Like this video of a gas explosion." April answered, showing us a post that was given to her.

It was a video of a gas explosion. She zoomed and the smoke revealed a Kraangdroid.

"A Kraangdroid." Leo identified.

The tone of his voice awoke and alerted Mikey. "Where?" Mikey asked, as he jumped off the swing and fell into the water under him.

"We'll check it out tonight." Leo told us.

"Why not now?" April asked.

"Because it's daytime. We can't let anyone see us." Leo explained to April.

"Well, I can." April shot back. She closed her laptop and made her way to the toll gates, until Leo stopped in front of her.

"April, think about this. It could be dangerous." Leo reasoned with April.

"You know what else could be dangerous? Standing between me and my father." April told Leo, with folded arms and a strong stare.

Leo waved his hands in defense and stepped aside, "Okay."

April left the lair and made her way to the location of the gas explosion.

Leo looked at me with a raised eyebrow, "Elle, is April always this stubborn?"

I lightly chuckled and shook my head, "Like you wouldn't believe. She takes too much after her father." Then something came to me, "Leo, do you know anything about what happened with the droid?"

Leo looked at me and had the look uncertainty in his eyes. He wanted to tell me, but something at the back of his mind is telling him not to. So, he does know. He sighed and looked at me in the eyes. Sincerity was clear as day.

"When we were fighting Snakeweed, you got knocked out. When things started to go bad, you... erm... made the forces of nature do your bidding. You blew the Kraang and Snakeweed toward the power generator, by using wind, and bound Snakeweed with ivy vines. Master Splinter knows, and he told me to keep it secret, until it might happen again." Leo told me.

I was slight shock, I was capable of manipulating nature itself? Why don't I remember any of the action, was I really that much out-cold? So many questions to ask. I felt like my head was gonna explode. But, at least Leo told me the truth.

"You okay, Ellie?" Leo asked.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Thanks for telling me the truth, Leo." I told him with a smile. Leo smiled back at me.

Then, Space Heroes started. Leo and I sat in front of the television. On today's episode, Captain Ryan, Mr. Crenshaw and the specialist, a green alien that was somewhat of a Martian ( **A/N: He looked like a hybrid of Martian Manhunter and Spock** ), were on a deserted planet.

"What do you make of this, Dr. Mindstrong?" Captain Ryan asked the specialist, Dr. Mindstrong.

Dr. Mindstrong got out a detection radar and it was beeping wildly.

"This is very disturbing, Captain, sensors indicate-" Dr. Mindstrong began to inform until a small, pink, butterfly-like alien latched itself onto his head. Dr. Mindstrong's eyes went wide as he continued, in a deapan tone, "Everything is fine."

Captain Ryan noticed the creature and gasped, "Great galaxies!"

"Captain, what's happening?" Mr. Crenshaw asked.

"Dr. Mindstrong's been taken over by the Cortexicons." Captain Ryan alerted his second-in-command.

Leo and I gasped at this information.

"What'll we do? What'll we do?" Mr. Crenshaw asked, on the verge of a panic.

Captain Ryan slapped Mr. Crenshaw across the face, and answered in a calm tone, "There's only one thing we can do. Dr. Mindstrong must be destroyed."

Then the duo went into battle with the mind-controlled specialist. It was an epic battle.

"Wow." I gasped in awe and admiration.

"What a hero." Leo said in the same tone.

Suddenly, loud, metallic footsteps interupted the silence. It was coming from Donnie's lab. From the doors, emerged a child-sized robotic turtle. It had an amber mask, and amber chest-plating, elbows and knees. It was a cute little thing. I had to clean my glasses to make sure I wasn't seeing things.

The robot's mouth opened to reveal a megaphone, "Take me to your leader!" It said in Donnie's voice.

"Leo, it's for you." Mikey said in a deadpan tone.

Leo walked over and got a good look at the drone, "What is this thing?"

Donnie walked out of the lab, with a smile and a controller in his hands, "Lady, gentlemen and Raphael..." He started, as Raph gave him a look, "This is the future of ninjutsu."

The robot relaxed. I folded my arms at it in skeptism. I'll admit, the design is not half-bad and the workings are very impressive, but is it really capable of ninjutsu combat?

"I always thought the future of ninjutsu would be taller." Raph commented.

"Aw, he's so cute." Mikey said in a baby tone. He started tickling the robot under the chin, "Coochie-coochie-coo!"

As a response, the robot revealed its arsenal of weapons. The shock threw Mikey onto his back.

Donnie chuckled and pressed a button on to top of the drone's head, which calmed it, "He doesn't like being tickled."

Mikey began staring at the drone, then started making funny faces at it. The drone actually made me worry about Donnie. He came up with all these brilliant weapon ideas, and he creates a robot to fight for him.

"Isn't it cool? I reverse-engineered it from the Kraangdroid." Donnie explained how he created the drone.

"Okay, why?" Leo asked, a little skeptical of the robot turtle. Can't say I blame him.

"So the drone can handle the dangerous stuff while we stay out of harm's way." Donnie answered.

"Oh, I get it. This is for wimps too afraid to fight." Raph summarized.

"No. It's for wimps too smart to fight. I mean-" Donnie tried to explain, but Mikey decided to speak up.

"Ooh! Let's call him 'Metalhead'. Why, you ask? Because it's got a head and it's made of-" Mikey suggested, then began explaining how he came up with the drone's new name.

Leo and I face-palmed, "We get it."

"I don't need a toaster to fight my battles for me." Raph said, folding his arms.

"I understand wanting a weapon that's better than a **六尺棒** (rokushakubō/six scale stick), but this is ridiculous, Donnie." I stated with my opinion.

"I agree with Elle. It takes the whole point out of being a ninja." Leo said, backing up my statement.

"It's exactly the point of being a ninja. We adapt." Donnie pointed out, then encouraged, "Now watch this; Attack the drone. Give it all you've got."

"You sure? I don't want to break your toy." Leo asked, then said, but Raph pushed him aside.

"I do!" Raph said, as he walked in front of the drone.

Donnie got his controller ready and Metalhead tensed. Raph got his sais out and dashed toward the drone. He jumped into the air and performed his diving attack. However, Metalhead caught Raph's attack. Then Metalhead swung Raph back and forth against the ground, then threw him into the wall behind it.

Donnie chuckled, then heard yelling from above him. Mikey and Leo appeared from above and attacked Metalhead with their weapons. No matter how hard they hit, Leo's katanas and Mikey's nunchucks never made a dent.

Metalhead grabbed the weapons and slammed the brothers into each other. Metalhead also stepped on Leo's toes and punched him into Raph. Mikey tried a sneak attack, but Metalhead caught him. With one punch, Metalhead threw Mikey into his brothers.

While Donnie and Metalhead were distracted, I drew my tanto and began jabbing it at possible chi points of the robot. As soon as I hit the exposed stomach area, Metalhead lightly sparked and shocked me into paralysis. Metalhead grabbed me and threw me into the pile of Turtle Brothers.

"I kicked your shells! And I didn't even have to use the laser cannon! Face it, guys, with this thing I'm invincible!" Donnie gloated with a big smile on his face.

Raph walked up to him and put his sai upon the controller, "Oh, yeah?" Raph used his said to flip the controller out of Donnie's hands.

"You know what I mean." Donnie said, as he walked off the get the controller back.

As soon as he touched the controller, a rat's foot stopped him from picking it up.

Donnie looked up and saw Master Splinter in front of him, "Sensei, I was wondering if I could take Metalhead for a spin tonight." He asked his teacher.

"You may." Splinter answered.

But, like last time, Donnie jumped ahead again, "That's totally unfair! You can't just-" Then he stopped, as soon as he collected what Splinter said, "Wait, what?"

"You have created this new weapon. We must see how well it works." Splinter replied, patting Metalhead's head.

"Well, that's great. Thank you, Sensei." Donnie said with a smile.

"But it is a test only. Do not take it into combat." Splinter told Donnie.

"No problem, Sensei." Donnie said with a bow.

Master Splinter made his way to the dojo. Probably to meditate or something like that.

Raph looked at Donnie, "You're taking it into combat, aren't you?"

"Totally!" Donnie answered with a smile and an excited chuckle.

* * *

 _ ***Later that night.***_

The boys and I, with Donnie being replaced by Metalhead, began our mission of finding the Kraang that was in April's post. It was quite difficult trying to keep a low profile with Metalhead. Though his combat skills are impressive, but his size and mobility make him loud, heavy and very clumsy.

We stopped on top of an abandoned apartment building, to wait for Metalhead. Leo arrived the usual way. Mikey arrived by zip-line with his nunchuck. Raph climbed his way up. I arrived by jumping down the billboard. And Metalhead was right behind us. He arrived, making a large impact on the ground, and ran toward us. Leo rubbed his temples and I pinched the bridge of my nose and shook my head.

* * *

( **A/N: Ellie pinches the bridge of her nose whenever she's really annoyed** )

* * *

Metalhead released steam from his 'ears' to cool down.

"Should we double back? I think there's a car alarm he didn't set off." Leo asked, then thought back a bit.

"I kinda like it. It goes nicely with all the sirens and cries for help." Raph smiled, patting Metalhead's head.

"Oh, come on. You guys are just jealous 'cause you're out there in the cold and I'm here eating Mikey's last slice of pizza." Donnie's voice spoke from Metalhead's closed mouth, via headset.

"Hey!" Mikey shot, then tried to punch Metalhead, only for it to bounce back at him.

I folded my arms. "At least we're getting fresh air, Donnie." I pointed out.

"Oooh, burn by a girl." Mikey said with a smile.

"Hello?" A familiar voice spoke from below us. It sounded like April's voice.

"Hey, guys, quiet. Somebody's coming." Leo told us.

Following Leo's actions, the boys and I knelt down. Metalhead went on all-fours. However, he made a bit of noise. He was better off just standing behind a nearby box. Leo looked at Raph and I and rolled his eyes. I pushed my glasses up in slight annoyance.

"Guys, it's me." The voice spoke again.

Leo, Mikey, Raph and I peeked over the edge and saw April walking down the alley below us.

"April!" Leo smiled. The boys and I made our way down to meet her.

"Guys! I was just looking for you." April said, relieved to see us. However, the sound of a falling person filled the air.

Hairs on my back stood up, as one thought came to me, "Uh-oh."

I pushed April away from the dumpster, as Metalhead fell into the aforementioned. The dumpster fell down and Metalhead struggled to get out. Leo face-palmed and I pinched the bridge of my nose. Metalhead finally got out of the dumpster and stood in front of April.

"Still, it's stealthier than the real Donatello." Raph commented.

"What the heck is that?" April asked, not sure how to react.

"It's Donnie's latest, 'brilliant' creation; Metalhead." Leo answered.

"Catchy name, huh? My idea." Mikey asked, then told April with a smile.

Metalhead opened its mouth and Donnie's voice spoke out the megaphone, "Oh, sorry, April. I'm still getting used to the controls." The volume of the megaphone and the feedback was so loud, everyone covered their ears. "Whoops." Donnie said, then Metalhead closed his mouth, "Megaphone button got stuck."

"Guys, we gotta do something. The Kraang are gonna poison the city's water supply with Mutagen!" April informed us, returning to the matter at hand.

"The whole city will become a disaster area!" Leo exclaimed.

"There'll be Mutants everywhere!" Donnie added.

"Wow. Think of all the friends we can make." Mikey smiled, hugging Metalhead. The rest of us stared at him,as if saying 'seriously?' Mikey let go of Metalhead, "Excuse me for being a "glass-half-full" kinda guy."

I shook my lightly,"Mikey, New York people are not very fond of change. Mutagen in the water supply will make it worse and everyone will be at each other's necks." I explained. Mikey gave me a confused look. "Trust me. Spider Bytez and Snakeweed are New York people, and they attacked us, just for accidently mutating them." I reminded.

"Ellie has a good point." Raph nodded.

"Thanks, Raph." I smiled.

"Let's go!" Leo told us, as he dashed down the alley.

"Yeah! The Kraang don't stand a chance!" Donnie cheered, as Metalhead followed, but Leo stopped him. "What?" He asked.

"Donnie, I need you to hang back. Metalhead is just too clumsy. It'll get in our way." Leo told Donnie.

"Clumsy?" Donnie exclaimed, as Metalhead threw its arms out and knocked over some trash cans. "I did that on purpose to emphasize my point." Donnie covered.

"You're not coming, Donnie." Leo said.

I looked at Metalhead and April, then a thought came to me, "If you want Metalhead to be useful, please keep an eye on April for us."

With that said, the other boys and I made our way to the warehouse, via rooftop. We entered the warehouse and hid ourselves upon the ceiling. April's report was correct. The Kraang were carrying canisters of Mutagen into the water supply of the city.

"Looks like a Kraang picnic down there." Leo summarized.

"Ready to bash some bots?" Raph asked with a smile.

"Destroy some droids?" Leo included, punching his hand.

"Crash some Kraang?" I added, unsheathing my eskrima sticks.

"Clean some closets?" Mikey included, but the other boys and I gave him a 'what' look. "Uh, I meant to say crush some Kraang?" He corrected with a smile.

Leo, Raph and I jumped down and quickly took down a few Kraangdroids. Blue armored Kraagndroids aimed their weapons at us.

Until, Mickey jumped down, "Booyakasha!" He landed on both the droids and beated them till they were offline.

Raph picked Mickey up and pushed him away from the busted Kraangdroids. The boys and I quietly made our way to the true scene of the crime, and hid behind some iron barrels. However, our cover was blown when a survived Kraangdroid revealed our location before going offline.

The boys and I gulped and looked at the other Kraangdroids. They aimed their weapons at us and fired their pink lasers. Leo, Raph, Mikey and I dashed for cover. We got our weapons ready and we dashed our way through the barrage and destroyed a few of the Kraang. However, more came and they fired their weapons too. Heck, in mid-battle, the Kraang got their energy cannon ready and fired it at us. Luckily, everyone jumped out of the way.

"They're everywhere! Run!" Mikey screamed at the top of his lungs.

I had enough of the energy cannon. I threw a flash grenade into the tunnel part of the cannon and dragged the boys behind the creates. After a loud explosion, the energy cannon was disabled and the Kraangdroids around it were offline. However, more Kraang arrived in a matter of seconds and fired their weapons at us.

"Leo, we're running out of-" Raph began, as we hid behind the last batch of creates we could find, "Room."

Leo and Raph hid behind one side, while Mikey and I hid behind the other.

"We're trapped!" Leo sighed.

"Or maybe, they're the ones who are trapped! Hmm?" Mikey suggested, trying to turn the tables around. He looked and nearly got hit by a pink laser, "No, it's us."

"Elle, now would be a good time to go all 'Mother Nature'!" Raph told me in a demanding tone. I gave him a 'do-you-think-I'm-not-trying?' look and he just stayed quiet.

Suddenly, the sound of shattered glass ceased the laser barrage and Metalhead landed on two of the Kraangdroids, from the glass roof. Metalhead looked at us, but his arms were in a position of a Egyptian dancer.

"What are you doing? What is wrong with your arms?" Leo asked, in an annoyed tone.

"My hands aren't on my hips?" Donnie asked.

"No!" I shouted, as Raph face-palmed.

"Sorry. Forgot to press B." Donnie chuckled, then Metalhead put his hands on his hips, like a superhero.

The Kraangdroids surrounded Metalhead and fired their weapons at him. Mikey, Leo, Raph and I watched with anticipation. Even the lasers didn't effect the little turtle drone. The Kraang ceased fire and looked at their weapons and each other.

"Now it's my turn!" Donnie shouted.

Metalhead's left hand morphed into that of a flamethrower nuzzle and aimed at the Kraangdroids, "Eat hot laser!"

Instead of fire, blue lasers flew and hit the Kraangdroids. Donnie laughed as he aimed his laser cannon at the other Kraangdroids and continued to fire, "You want some of this? Whoo! Yeah, baby!"

Metalhead aimed his right fist at the other Kraangdroids, and it flew into their heads, knocked the robots offline. The fist returned to its owner. "Hey, Raph, how does it feel to be shown up by a toaster?" Donnie asked, with a smile in his voice.

Raph gave Metalhead a look, as Leo, Mikey and I gave him a smile. Raph got burned by a machine.

However, Mikey's smile quickly faded, as he noticed something, "Burn!"

The other boys looked and saw two Kraangdroids approaching Metalhead from behind.

"Yeah, I thought that was a good one." Donnie smiled.

"No! Burn!" Mikey shouted, pointing behind Metalhead.

"Oh. Right." Donnie said, snapping back into action.

His left hand spouted another flamethrower nuzzel and turned to shoot... flames at the Kraangdroids. I froze at the sight of the flames. Thankfully, Mikey turned me away from the blazing combat.

Donnie continued to use the laser cannon to take down the rest of the Kraangdroids, but he was getting overconfident, that he aimed at us and almost hit Mikey's head.

"Dude!" Mikey shouted.

"Oops! Sorry, Mikey!" Donnie apologised, trying to watch his aim.

"Donnie, watch the friendly fire." Leo told his younger brother.

But, Donnie wasn't listening. "Here's some for you! And some for you! And, oh, yeah, I saved a little for you too! How'd that taste?" He laughed, as he took down the last Kraangdroid and continued his fire. And he was aiming at a batch of propane tanks.

"Donnie! Watch out for the..." I tried to warn, but the tanks exploded and the shockwave blew us all away.

I hit my head against a pillar and... it wasn't as painful as it should've. Must be Splinter-sama's training.

As we recovered from the explosion of the tanks, Donnie's voice spoke up, "Guys, if you can hear me, you might wanna run." He said.

We looked and saw that Metalhead had a Kraang on top of his head and his eyes were glowing pink.

Metalhead opened his mouth and a Kraang voice was speaking from the megaphone, in perfect volume and pitch, "The ones, that which are called Turtles and the one called Eleanor Hamato, will now be called, Turtles and Girl, that are destroyed!" Metalhead said the last word in a deep and dark tone. Uh-oh.

Mikey sighed in relief, "Whew! I was really afraid at the beginning of the sentence, but then I sort of just lost interest towards-" Suddenly, Metalhead aimed his laser cannon at Mikey. "Ok. I'm afraid again." Mikey screamed and we ran for cover, or tried our best to keep our distance from the robot.

Once we saw an opening, we dashed for it. Mikey threw one of his nunchucks at Metalhead's laser cannon and it caught the cannon off-aim. The boys and I surrounded the droid.

"Give him everything you've got." Leo told us. So, Raph, Mikey, Leo and I attacked the drone with our weapons, but they weren't leaving a dent at all.

"He's gotta have a weak spot." Leo said.

"This always works!" Mikey said with a smile, then his kicked the drone in-between the legs, "Hiyah!" However, like last time, the attack bounced back at him, "Ow! Well, usually."

Metalhead took this opportunity and attacked the boys, by punching them, hard in the face. The force threw them toward a wall.

"Guys!" I shouted in worry. Then anger burned in my heart. I looked at the alien-controlled drone, "That's it! Eat this, Metal-Freak!" I charged at him, jabbed my eskrima sticks into the exposed stomach of the droid and activated the taser-ends.

Just like before, the drone sparked, but this time, the spark was bigger and Metalhead jumped a bit. I think I hurt the Kraang as well. But, it was short-lived. Metalhead looked at me and punched me into the wall with the Turtles.

"Ellie!" I heard Leo call in worry.

I rubbed my head and lightly smiled, "I'm okay."

Unfortunately, Metalhead and Kraangdroids had us surrounded. We had no time to recover from the attack. We got back up and readied ourselves for the next attack.

"Now Kraang will destroy you. Which one wants to be first to be destroyed by Kraang?" Metalhead said, then asked.

"Me!" A familliar voice spoke from above us.

The boys, The Kraang and I looked up and saw Donnie jumped down from his previous entrance. And he was holding his old bo-staff.

"Donnie! Bangin' entrance, dude!" Mikey said with a smile.

"You guys deal with the droids. Ellie and I will handle Metalhead." Donnie told us.

"No problem, Donnie." I answered, as I got my eskrima sticks and activated the taser-ends. The boys dashed and took care of the Kraangdroids.

"It is the maker of the tech, which was the tech, that was of the Kraang." Metalhead said as he recognized Donnie.

"Come on, gimme your best-" Donnie dared, as he and I readied our weapons, however he was cut short from Metalhead launching his fist at him.

I ducked, and Donnie ran. I noticed that Metalhead was aiming for Donnie.

"Donnie, heads up!" I shouted.

Donnie turned and whacked the fist off-course, causing the fist to fly into Metalhead's face. Donnie and I began hitting Metalhead with our weapons. However, Donnie's weapon had no effect, while mine did little damage. Donnie hit Metalhead on his head again, and the drone aimed his laser cannon at us.

Donnie and I took cover, but Donnie wasn't fast enough. He tried to deflect a laser attack, but his staff snapped again.

"Not again." Donnie muttered, as he looked at his staff.

Metalhead opened his mask and released homing-signal bombs, that were his eyes.

"Whoa!" I shouted, as I grabbed Donnie's hand and quickly dragged him behind the barrel I was hiding behind.

The bomb hit the pillar, that was behind Donnie, and it damaged it to near collapse state. Donnie looked and lightly smiled, "That might work."

He turned to look at Metalhead, "Hey, Kraang!" Metalhead fired his laser cannon at Donnie. Donnie rolled over to the pillar again, "The one, who is called your mother, wears the boots, that are made for combat!"

Metalhead ceased firing and 'glared' at Donnie, "The comment, that is made by you, shows ignorance of Kraang!" He withdrew his weapon before he continued, "The ones, known by you as mothers-"

"Just come get me!" Donnie told Metalhead.

Metalhead fired multiple 'eye-bombs' at Donnie. Donnie was able to get out of the way and flipped over Metalhead, who fired his laser cannon when Donnie got too close. The pillar began to wobble and fall over towards Donnie. My blood began to run cold. The weight of the pillar will crush Donnie in-half.

"Donnie, look out!" I shouted, as I reached out my hand. A large dust cloud surrounded the impacted area.

When the smoke cleared, Donnie was unharmed, and what remained if his staff, was jabbed into Metalhead's chest. I looked above and saw that the pillar has a very faint, indigo glow.

Donnie smiled, "Booyakasha!"

"Sounds weird when he says it." Mikey commented.

"Sounds weird when you say it." Raph replied.

"That which is the revenge will be had on those who are call themselves the Turtles and Girl." Metalhead said, as the drone shut down and the Kraang left. Of course, the Kraang jumped on to Donnie's face, before crawling off.

I lowered my hand, and the glow vanished. The pillar rested on the creates behind Donnie. And I joined the brothers.

"Nice job, bro!" Mikey said with a smile.

"Way to go, Donnie." Leo said. Donnie got out from under the pillar and smiled.

"Yeah, not bad." Raph said with a smile, then frowned, "Except for that part where you built the thing in the first place. And the part where it broke. And the part where it tried to kill us. And the part-"

"Ok, I get it." Donnie told Raph, then lightly sulked.

* * *

 _ ***Later, that night...***_

I was back in my room, at my place. I was just putting on the finishing touches of my present for Donatello. He seemed really down when he and his brothers returned to the Lair. Once I was finished, I showed it to Mulan.

"What do you think? Will he like it?" I asked her.

Mulan licked her lips and scratched the wires. This indcated that she loved it and was jealous of Donnie. I giggled and gave her two crickets. She took them and began munching.

I placed the finished weapon on to my back, turned off my bedroom light, opened the window, and made my way to the Lair. When I entered the sewers, the path was misted in smoke. I followed it, coughing slightly, and enter the Lair, via the toll gates. The smoke cleared, and the boys were covered in soot, dust and pieces of wood.

"What the heck happened in here?" I asked, as soon as my throat was clear from the smoke.

"Ask Donnie." Raph answered.

I looked at Donnie, who was on the ground, holding what remained of a bo-staff. I shook my head and helped the genius Turtle back to his feet.

"Thanks, Ellie. When did you get here?" Donnie thanked, then asked me.

"Just now. What happened?" I answered, then asked him.

"Uuummm." He began, scratching the back of his head.

"Let me guess, laser-guided missle-launching staff?" I guessed.

"How did you know?" Donnie asked. I didn't notice Master Splinter staring at me.

"Just a hunch." I shrugged, then my thoughts came back to me. "Oh, I have something for you, Donnie."

I reached over my back and showed him his new weapon. His eyes widen is surprise.

I smiled, "Do you like it? It's a **薙刀** ( **Naginata** /Pole-Blade). It's made of bamboo and has a retractable blade. So, you can fight the Kraang without just whacking them."

Donnie took the staff, smiled and threw his arms around me. I hugged him back. I knew he liked my gift.


	7. Monkey Brains

Monkey Brains.

 **Eleanor's POV.**

Ugh, what a day. School and a part-time job. I entered my room and crashed on to my bed with a sigh.

Oh, didn't I tell you guys? A few days ago, I got a part-time job at a noodle shop. The owner, and cook was looking for an assistant. And I treated April and myself out, because of our report card streak. And I noticed, with my sense of smell, that the shrimp of another costumer's order were overcooked.

Impressed, the owner asked if I could be his assistant. I accepted, and I've been working ever since.

I still have time to train with Master Splinter and hang out with April and the Turtles. I've been trying to make new friends, but sadly had no luck. 'Who wants to be friends with your kind of people?' they'd say.

Oh, crud! I have training with Master Splinter tonight, and I have homework due in three days! Eh, I'll do my homework tomorrow.

I rose from my bed, fed Mulan, got my ninja gear ready and quickly made my way to the Lair. As soon as I entered the Lair, I saw Mikey and Donnie exit the Dojo. Mikey had a huge grin on his face, with his hands behind his head. And Donnie looked like he lost a fight.

I walked past the two brothers, and entered the Dojo. Master Splinter was standing in front of the tree, with his back facing me.

I went on one knee and bowed, "Sensei, I've come for my training for today."

My muscles tensed as I noticed that Splinter said nothing, but charged at me. He threw a few punches, which I blocked and countered with a few kicks and performed **背負い投げ** (Seoi Nage/Shoulder Throw). When I got him on my back, Splinter-sama flipped off my back and took a step back.

Splinter-sama put his hand up, " **止め** (Yame/Stop)." I dropped my stance and relaxed. He smiled, "Very good, Eleanor. Your reflexes are impressive. Do you know what today's lesson is?"

I thought for a second, "Being able to fight without thinking?" I guessed.

Splinter-sama nodded with a smile, "Correct. Now, again. This time, counter."

I charged toward Splinter and threw a few punches and kicks. He grabbed me arm and performed **背負い投げ** , however I rolled off his back, grabbed his arm and performed **巴投** (Tomoe-Nage/Circle Throw or Monkey Flip). Splinter flipped to his feet and took a stance, I did the same.

Suddenly, I heard metal swinging in the air. My muscles tensed, as I caught whatever it was behind me, throw it over my shoulder, causing it to land on its back, and sat on top of it, with its own weapons to its neck.

As soon as I saw my attcker's green scaled, blue masked face, my muscles relaxed and I lowered the weapons. I felt like my heart just dropped. My attacker was Leo. I nearly harmed him.

" **止め**! Very good, Eleanor. We will continue tomorrow." Master Splinter said with a smile, and walked into his room.

I dropped Leo's weapons, stood up and helped the grounded turtle back to his feet. "What were you thinking, Leo? I could've hurt you." I asked, then told him.

He shrugged with a smile, "I was testing your reflexes."

I smiled and giggled. That was the same thing I told him. I gave Leo his weapons back. As we left the dojo, I heard what sounded like a marker pen on a cardboard paper. It was coming from Donnie's lab. I looked and saw Raph and Mikey peeking through the door. I felt a nudge in my arm, and I looked at Leo.

"Wanna see what's going on?" He asked me with a cheeky smile.

I nodded with a cheeky smile of my own. Leo, Mikey, Raph and I quietly entered Donnie's lab and looked over Donnie's shoulders to see that he was making a flowchart of multiple plans and ideas.

"What you up to, Donnie?" Leo asked, startling Donnie.

Donnie looked and saw us around him. "Just putting the finishing touches on my master plan." He answered, as he continued drawing.

"Master plan?" Raph asked.

"Yeah, to get April to hang out with me." Donnie replied, finishing a line.

Donnie's brothers laughed at him. I just rested my head on my hand.

"Aww. That's so cute." I smiled.

"Try this, 'April, do you want to hang out with me?'" Leo suggested with a cheeky smile.

"Yeah. You see, it's not that simple. I have to prepare for every possible response to maximize my chances of success." Donnie answered, as he finished his chart.

"Aw, that's so romantic!" Mikey said with a smile.

Donnie showed us his flowchart, which he pinned on the back of Leo's Space Heroes III movie poster.

Donnie cleared his throat, "Yeah. For instance, if April says she can't because she has homework, then I will suggest an informal study session and serve healthy, brain-stimulating snacks." He explained, pointing to a black-lined idea.

"Well, what if she says she can't, because you're a total nerd?" Raph asked.

"Ah, that's this thread here." Donnie answered, pointing to an orange plan, "I will list my many non-nerdy qualities and suggest activities that will highlight my coolness, such as skateboarding or shark wrestling."

Suddenly, April showed up without warning. She was carring her laptop, which was open. Speak of the devil, and she doeseth appear. Heh.

"Guys!" April shouted.

April's presense alerted Donnie, as he hurried to flip his chart back to Leo's poster.

"Hey- hey, Ap- Hey, April." He studdered, love-struck. That Turtle's crush on my best friend is so cute.

"You guys gotta check this out." April told us, as she pressed play on a news video clip.

"Renowned neurochemist Dr. Tyler Rockwell has been reported missing." The news reporter said.

My eyes widen in shock, "Professor Rockwell?"

Leo looked at me, "You know him, Ellie?"

I nodded, "Yeah. He was my science teacher when I was young." I smiled at the memories, "Neurochemistry was fun."

"Is there anyone in this city you don't know?" Raph asked me with a strange look in his eyes.

I scratched the back of my head, "I'll keep you posted on that, Raph."

"I spoke with Rockwell's colleague, Dr. Victor Falco." The reporter finished, as the camera turned to a skinny, man, in his late-40s, in a lab-coat. Another man I know, Victor Falco.

"I hadn't heard from him in days, so I stopped by his lab. The place was a mess and he was gone. I fear the worst." Falco said.

There was something up with his voice. He sounded genuine, but there was something in his tone. I can't put my finger on it.

"Police say they have-" The reporter continued, until April closed her laptop.

"So?" Raph asked.

"So, the Kraang have been kidnapping scientists from all over the city, including my Dad! Maybe that's what happened to this Rockwell guy." April answered.

"Or they may not be connected at all." I said, deep in thought.

"There's only one way to find out. We should go to that lab and look around." April said.

"April's right. We should go check it out." Donnie agreed, then faked hearing something, "What's that? You guys are busy? Guess it's just the two of us, April."

I broke out of my train of thought and noticed Donnie walking off with April.

"Oh no, you don't. I'm coming with you guys." I told them.

"Why?" April asked, confused with my actions.

"I know Rockwell. And I need to know what happened to him." I answered.

Donnie smiled, "That's great, Ellie. We could use your kind of skills."

Donnie and I got our ninja gear and traveled with April, to Rockwell's lab, which was in an apartment building. Slightly on the way, Donnie tried to start a conversation with April, but she was too focused on the task at hand. That girl needs to loosen up a bit. She's way too much like her father.

"Ellie?" Donnie called, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, Don?" I answered, looking at him.

"If you don't mind me asking, do you plan out your stratigies of combat?" He asked. So, that's why he was upset. He was thinking during his spar with Mikey.

"I don't. Thinking too much will make you lose sight of what's coming. You need to live fully in the moment, when you fight." I answered, matter-of-fact.

Donnie sighed, "You sound just like Master Splinter."

I smiled, "He's a good teacher. Sometimes, you need to listen to him."

By the silence, Donnie knew I was right. We arrived at the apartment building and made our entry through the roof. We quietly made our to the lab door and it was locked with an electronic lock. Donnie got a small device, with a computer chip inside, from his belt. He placed it on the lock and the red light turned green. The door opened.

"There isn't an electronic lock out there my digital lock pick can't crack." Donnie said with smile.

"Smooth!" April said with a smile. Donnie chuckled.

Donnie, April and I entered the lab and began looking around. It was really dark, so we couldn't find the light switch. Instead, April turned on her flashlight. The place looked like it was turned upside-down by something larger than a full-grown man.

"Wow, this place is a wreck." Donnie gasped.

April shone her flashlight at a torn open cage. She shuddered, "Ugh, he must have been experimenting on animals."

I looked at the cage. It looked like it was big enough to hold in a person, or a monkey. That doesn't add-up. Rockwell hated experimenting on animals. He loved them.

April moved her flashlight to what was next to the cage, a dentist chair with metal restraint-cuffs.

"Either someone was up to some secret research, or they were renting space to one freaky dentist!" Donnie summarized.

I shuddered at the thought, as I looked at the chair, "Ugh. I've always hated medical places. Always give me the creeps."

We turned our attention to the desk, on the other side of the room. Research papers were all over the place. Donnie looked at the papers, and I checked the drawers. I opened the bottom one. It was empty, but there was a familiar, light blue glow under the bottom panel.

"Donnie, April. I think I found something." I said, as I lifted the panel.

Donnie gasped, and April obtained the contents; a canister of Mutagen. Now that does raise suspisions on what research Rockwell and Falco were up to.

"Mutagen!" Donnie identified the canister.

April looked at the canister, then behind Donnie, "Donnie, look out!" She shouted.

A shadowed figure of a man, with a golf club, swung his weapon toward Donnie. Donnie easily blocked with his staff and threw the man to the ground. April finally found the light switch and the lights turned on. It was Falco that attcked Donnie, well... tried to.

"Dr. Falco!" April exclaimed with surprise.

Falco yelled when he got a good look at Donnie. "What are you?!" He asked.

"Relax. I'm not gonna hurt you." Donnie said in a calm tone.

"You already hurt me!" Falco told Donnie.

Donnie stood up, "I mean any more."

"We're here to help." April told Falco, as Donnie offered him his hand.

Falco took Donnie's hand and Donnie helped him back on his feet. Falco dusted himself off and saw me.

"Eleanor. It's good to see you again, my dear." He greeted with a smile.

I kept my distance from him and said nothing. Ever since I first met this man, I always get a cold shiver running down my spine. Rockwell told him I was shy, which was slightly the case, but the shiver was the most logical reason.

"Do you know anything about the location of my father, Dr. Falco?" April asked.

Falco sat on his desk, "I'm sorry. I wish I knew something about your father, but I don't." He answered.

"So what can you tell us about this?" Donnie asked, holding the canister of Mutagen.

"Some shady corporate goon paid Rockwell a lot of money to experiment with it." Falco answered.

"This the guy?" April asked, showing a photo of a disguised Kraangdroid on her phone.

"That's him." Falco answered with a nodd.

"The Kraang!" Donnie gasped.

"Well, I wanted no part of that stuff. Who knows what kind of monstrosities could result." Falco explained, then looked at Donnie, "No offense."

"Some taken." Donnie replied.

I narrowed my eyes at Falco, there was that tone again. How can no-one else hear it? Must be just me and my hearing.

"Is that what was in that cage over there? One of his monstrosities?" April asked, pointing to the cage. I looked at the cage.

"Can we ease up on the 'M' word, please?" Donnie asked.

"That's where he kept the monkey, he was experimenting on." Falco answered.

"Whoa. It sure didn't like being locked up in there." Donnie commented.

"Rockwell didn't treat it very well." Falco explained.

"Maybe the Kraang didn't take Rockwell. Maybe the monkey went berserk, busted out of the cage, and dragged him off. Or worse." April said, thinking about possibilities.

I stared at the cage, then looked at my hand. A few days ago, I realised that my dreams of a person's past can also happen when I touch something, or somebody. It worked when I was sparring with Master Splinter, so it must work with other things too. My reached out my hand, to touch the cage, until Falco's voice stopped me.

"I hope you're able to find Rockwell soon. Who can tell what's happening to him now." He said.

"Thanks for your help, Dr. Falco. We'll find you, if you need anything." April said, then made her way to the door, with Donnie following her.

I sighed and followed my friends and exit the apartment building. We made our way back to the Lair, through an alley way, that was a few blocks behind the apartment building.

"So how do you suppose we're gonna find Rockwell without any leads?" April asked.

"Well, maybe we'll know more once we have a look at his flash drive." Donnie answered. I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched. And not by Shredder's men.

"What flash drive?" April asked.

"The one I swiped off his desk." Donnie answered, with a smile, showing the flash drive.

"Nice!" April smiled.

"Awesome." I smiled.

"Yeah. Well, keeping cool under pressure is the hallmark of a-" Donnie was about to boast, until we encountered a Mutant. A monkey Mutant with dark brown fur, slightly tanned skin, and amber-brown eyes.

The monkey had cuffs on its wrists, beltline and ankles, and wore a pair of indigo pants. It roared at us. Donnie got his weapon ready for a fight.

"Careful, Donnie! That's a dangerous Mutant!" April warned Donnie.

"That makes two of us!" Donnie told her.

"April, stay behind me." I told April, moving her behind me.

Donnie prepared for an attack, but the monkey was fast and kicked Donnie away. The force caused Donnie to drop his staff. The monkey picked up the staff and sniffed it. It threw the staff away. Donnie stood up, rubbing his head slightly.

"Donnie, are you okay?" April asked, worried for her Turtle friend.

"I'm good." Donnie replied, with a weak smile, then returned to his fight with the monkey.

Donnie tried his best to land a hit on the monkey, but the monkey kept dodging and keeping its distance. It was like the monkey was either empathic, or telepathic. The monkey had the upper-hand and beated Donnie to the ground.

"Donnie?" April shouted.

"I was just figuring out his timing. He is gonna regret-" Donnie tried to explain, until the monkey hit him, "Ow! That." The monkey punched him, "That, too!" It hit him again, "And that!" And again, "Got a lot of regrets, monkey!"

The monkey grabbed Donnie's head and threw him across the alley. Donnie didn't have time to react, as the monkey jumped on to him and began hitting him over the head. Donnie tried to protect himself, "Hey, come on! Hey, ow!"

Then, the monkey threw Donnie toward us. April ran to Donnie, to see if he was okay. The monkey growled to get her attention. April turned and saw the monkey advancing toward her and I. I kept April behind me as we slowly backed away, but the monkey grabbed me by my shoulders and roared at me.

I stared, unfazed by the roar. It realised how calm I was and stopped snarling at me.

I placed my hands over its wrists with a gentle smile, "It's okay. Everything's going to be all right." The monkey looked at me. I gave it a gentle smile, "We're not gonna hurt you."

I could feel the monkey look into my eyes. It let me go and stared at me. It looked like it was trying to say something, but couldn't find the right words.

"What? What's wrong?" I asked the monkey.

The monkey was about to say something, but roared, " _ **Stay away!**_ " Then it dashed off on to the rooftops.

Once everything calmed down, I ran into the alley to get Donnie's staff, and April ran to Donnie and lifted his head, "Donnie, are you hurt?" She asked him.

"Just my pride. And my internal organs." Donnie was able to answer, until he lightly blacked out for a few seconds.

"Come on." I said, as April and I got Donnie back on to his feet and April put his arm over her shoulders.

We made our way to the manhole and April slowly helped Donnie into the sewers. I couldn't help but look back at the rooftops. That voice that spoke to me. It was definitly coming from the monkey, but it sounded so familiar. It sounded similar to...

"It can't be..." I wondered.

"Ellie, come on." April shouted, breaking my train of thought. I made my way down, and put the manhole cover back where it belonged.

April and I slowly, but surely, got back to the Lair. The boys saw us and saw how beaten up Donnie looked.

"Whoa, what happened?" Leo asked.

"Donnie got beat up by a lab monkey." April answered.

The boys looked at each other. I moved aside, as Leo took my place, with Donnie's other arm over his shoulders.

"April, can you get an ice pack?" Leo asked. April dashed off to the kitchen.

I joined April into the kitchen and began heating the teapot.

"Ellie, what are you doing? Now's not the time for tea." April asked, then told me.

"Natural remedies, April." I answered, as I put a ginger teabag into the teapot.

"Donnie, you gonna be okay?" I heard Leo ask.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'll be fine." Donnie answered.

"In that case." Leo started, then Donnie's brothers laughed at him.

"You got beaten up by a monkey? In front of your girlfriend?" Raph asked.

"She's not my girlfriend! And that monkey was a vicious Mutant!" Donnie argued.

"Yeah, I'm sure he went bananas!" Leo joked, and then the brothers burst into laughter again. "No, no, no, no, no. He went ape!" He joked again, then the laughter got louder.

"Monkey!" Mikey was able to shout between his laughs.

April and I entered the lounge with an ice pack and a cup of ginger tea. April glared at the laughing brothers.

Raph noticed and gave his brothers an 'Cut it' signal, "No more monkey puns."

April looked at the brothers, then sat down. Donnie lifted his head, then rested it on April's lap, as she placed the ice pack over his head.

"Are you laughing at him because he's hurt?" April asked with a glare.

"No, we were laughing at him because he was hurt by a monkey!" Mikey answered, and burst into laughter again, followed by his brothers.

April looked at the brothers annoyed. I couldn't help but giggle myself. Siblings laugh at each other all the time. Heck, I laughed at Sammy when she tripped over and got bit by her pet artic fox, Kohaku. Of course, I got a boot to the head, but she still laughed as well.

I gave Donnie the cup, "Here, Donnie. Drink this."

Donnie took the cup and looked at the tea. He took a sip and lightly smiled in delight. I smiled as well.

"What is that?" Leo asked me.

"It's ginger tea. Perfect pain relief and anti-inflammatry." I answered.

"Wow. Who knew we had a doctor in the house." Mikey said with a smile.

* * *

( **A/N: Beast Boy anyone?** )

* * *

After a while, Leo and Raph were in the dojo, sparring. Mikey was relaxing, listening to music. April was at home. And I was meditating with Master Splinter. Good thing it was a weekend. Donnie was fully recovered, but he was feeling a little depressed, losing a fight to a mutant monkey. His negative energy was stopping me from meditating. Can't say I blame him.

"I just don't get it. I mean, I'm a highly trained martial artist. How could I lose to something so mindless?" Donnie. wondered, looking at the water.

Master Splinter and I decided to give Donnie a little pep talk.

"You are very intelligent." Splinter told Donnie.

Donnie turned and looked at us.

"But in a fight, you can't always be up here." I said, pointing to my forehead.

"But I just don't understand how you can fight without thinking." Donnie told Master Splinter and myself.

Donnie, Master Splinter and I turned and saw Mikey walked toward us, with his headphones on, his eyes closed and listening to his music. A perfect demonstration.

"Observe." I said, as I walked towards Mikey. I threw a few hits at him, but he dodged and blocked my attacks. I lowered my stance and smiled at Donnie, "You see, Donnie? Mikey doesn't think."

"Thank you." Mikey said to me.

"You're welcome." I answered, as Mikey walked off.

Mikey walked past Master Splinter, and Splinter tripped Mikey into the bean-bag chair with his tail.

"You must find the space between your thoughts and learn to live there. That's what Michelangelo does." Master Splinter told Donnie.

"True, but Mikey's got a lot more space between his thoughts than I do." Donnie pointed out.

"Oh, a pepperoni!" Mikey exclaimed, eating a pepperoni that was behind him.

"Yes, well, Michelangelo has his challenges, too." Master Splinter said with light chuckle.

After another while, April decided to hang out with the Turtles and myself, in the Lair. She was researching the documents on Falco's flash drive. Raph was reading his comic books, Leo and Mikey were sparring, Donnie was watching the T.V, and I was finishing my homework.

"Guys, I think I've found something." April said, getting all of our attention.

"These notes are hard to follow, but it looks like Rockwell was able to modify the Mutagen." She explained, as she read the notes.

"Why would he do that?" Leo asked.

"He thought he could use it to create a neurochemical that would temporarily give someone psychic abilities." April answered.

"You mean that monkey was psychic?" Raph asked.

"It's more like he was reading our emotions. After all, he was only hostile when Donnie was hostile." April explained.

"Yeah, well next time I'll be sure to think friendly thoughts while I'm beating a little sunshine into him." Donnie said, punching his hand during his last words.

I sighed a bit, "Emotions are not in the same concept as thoughts, Donnie." Everyone looked at me, "That's what I've heard..."

"Okay, we need to track him down before he attacks someone else. Let's go up to the surface, spread out, and search." Leo told us.

"How are we gonna stay in contact?" Raph asked.

"I have a little something that might help." Donnie said, as he stood up. "Gentlemen and ladies I give you The T-Phone!" He revealed a cell phone-like device that was in the shape of a turtle shell.

I smiled. Very clever, Donnie.

"Dude, I'm in charge of naming stuff. I would've called it - The T-Phone." Mikey retorted at Donnie.

"I did call it the T-Phone." Donnie said.

"Yeah, but I would've called it the T-Phone." Mikey muttered in a pout. Only to get hit in the back of his head by Raph.

"And April, if you give me your cell number, I can patch you into our network." Donnie suggested, offering his T-Phone to April.

"Sweet!" April smiled, taking the cell and put her number into Donnie's phone.

"See that? I got her number." Donnie whispered to Raph.

"Her number's on the fridge, you dork." Raph pointed out.

"Ellie? Would you like to do that as well?" Leo asked me.

"Of course, Leo." I answered with a small smile.

After April was done, I gave the Turtles my cell number too. I didn't notice Leo's blushing smile.

* * *

 _ ***Later, in the city...***_

The Turtles, April and I seperated and began searching for the monkey. April kept to the ground level and the Turtles and I had the rooftops.

"Guys, someone just spotted the monkey on Bleecker." April informed us.

"I think I'm on his trail." Raph reported.

"Ellie, the monkey is headed your way." Leo informed me.

I looked and saw the monkey running down the street, "I've got eyes on him. He's headed south on Delancey!" I informed.

"I'm on Houston! I'll cut him off! Where'd he go?" Donnie reported, then asked.

"He changed direction." Leo informed, then told Mikey, "Mikey, the monkey is headed your way!"

"I'm on it!" Mikey replied.

This monkey was clever. He lead the Turtles and myself into a wild goose-chase. It was confusing and slightly annoying. We all met up in a four-way crossing intersection. But, no sign of the monkey.

"Anybody see where he went?" Leo asked.

"I thought he headed off in that direction." Donnie answered.

"I thought it was that way." Raph replied.

The three started arguing, while Mikey was calling, "Here, monkey, monkey, monkey, monkey!"

Something at the back of my head told me to turn around and look at the dumpster behind me. As I looked, I sensed fear and sadness.

April and I walked toward the dumpster and opened it. Only to see the monkey.

"There you are." I said with a smile.

The monkey turned and saw us. The voice spoke again, " _ **It's you girls again.**_ "

April smiled and reached out her hand to the monkey.

"It's alright. We're not gonna hurt you." I assured the poor Mutant.

The monkey looked at April's hand. " _ **Alright...**_ "

The monkey climbed out and stared at me and April. Suddenly, Mikey threw his kusarigama chain and it bound the monkey. " _ **No! Not again. Let me go!**_ " The voice said, as the monkey roared.

"Ha-ha! Gotcha that time!" Mikey smiled.

"Great, we got the monkey. But we're not any closer to finding Dr. Rockwell." Raph said in matter-of-fact.

" _ **I said, LET ME GO!**_ " The monkey roared, making April to jump and back away a little.

I went to one knee, put my hands over his cheeks and spoke in a calm and gentle voice, "Easy, easy, shhh. It's okay."

" _ **I... don't...**_ " The monkey stuttered, as his bulging eyes returned to their normal state.

April looked at me, "Wow, Ellie. How do you do that?"

"It's a gift." I answered with a shrug.

Hearing April saying my name, the monkey's eyes widen in surprise, " _ **Dear Eleanor? You've grown up...**_ "

I raised a brow in confusion, then something hit me. The voice was... Only one thought came to me as tears welled up in my eyes, "Who did this to you?"

"Actually, we're a lot closer than you think." April told the boys.

"What? How?" Donnie asked.

I turned to the boys, "April's right. This is Dr. Rockwell."

* * *

 _ ***Later, in Dr. Falco's lab...***_

The Turtles, April and I were able to return the monkey, Rockwell, back to his lab, Falco seemed upset, but his aura gave me a reason to still keep my distance from him. Falco bound Rockwell to the chair, with Rockwell screaming and trying to escape, and injected a serum into his arm. Rockwell calmed down and fell asleep.

"There. That should calm him down a little. Poor Rockwell." Falco said.

"Is there any way to get him back to normal?" April asked.

"I wouldn't even know where to begin. But I'll see if there's a way to give him some semblance of a normal life." Falco answered.

* * *

 _ ***Later, back at the Lair...***_

The boys, except Raph, April and I were in the kitchen, waiting for Raph to bring the pizza. Mikey was playing with his T-Phone and Donnie was looking over Rockwell's notes.

"Man, this asteroid field is tough. I just can't beat it." Mikey said, as he played.

"Left, right, shoot, back, right." I said.

Mikey did what I said, and he smiled, "Thanks, Ellie." I smiled at him.

"Pizza's here!" Raph announced, as he placed the pizza box on the table and opened the box.

Leo and Raph took a slice each and started eating. Mikey sniffed the aroma of the pizza and caught himself in a silly dillema.

He switched back and forth, "Must eat pizza. But can't stop playing. But must eat pizza. But can't stop playing! But must eat pizza!"

He screamed in desperation, then made up his mind and grabbed a slice with his mouth.

"Sorry we didn't get any closer to finding your Dad, April." Leo said to April.

"It's okay. Everything we learn about the Kraang is another piece of the puzzle." April replied.

"Yeah, but psychic research? This is one weird puzzle." Leo wondered.

"I am curious, April. Eleanor. How did you know the monkey was really a human?" Master Splinter asked, as he walked by us.

"I don't know. Sometimes I just get a feeling about things." April answered in all honesty.

"A feeling? Hm. Interesting. And you, Eleanor?" Splinter wondered, then asked me.

I wasn't sure if I could tell him. That I'm able to understand animals, Mutant and non, and sense the emotions of others and be able to identify who? Will he think that I'm a freak too?

I had to say what I said to the boys before, "Just a hunch?"

Master Splinter gave me a look and walked off.

Raph looked at me, "You're not eating, Ellie?"

"Thanks, Raph. But, I'm not hungry. I'm worried about Rockwell." I answered with a slight sulk.

"Hey, Donnie, how come you're not eating?" Leo asked Donnie.

"What? I'm not hungry. Something's been bothering me." Donnie answered.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Falco said that Rockwell was experimenting on a monkey." Donnie started, recalling on Falco's words.

"And?" Leo asked.

"Well, according to these notes, he never had a monkey in his lab. He was just using samples of monkey DNA." Donnie continued, then looked at me, "Ellie, did Rockwell ever use animals for class experiments?"

I quickly shook my head, "No. He can't stand experimenting on animals. If anything, Prof. Rockwell loves animals."

"We're still not following you." Leo said.

"If he never had a monkey, what broke out of that cage?" Donnie pointed out.

"It must've been Rockwell!" Raph answered.

"Which means Falco put him there and he's been lying this whole time!" Donnie summarized.

"I knew it!" I shouted in anger, dashing off to get my ninja gear and making my way to Falco's lab.

The Turtles quickly followed after me. We made our way to the apartment building and entered the lab. It was stormy, but I had no time to be afraid. Falco has already acquired the psychic abilities.

"All right, Falco! We've had enough of your-" Leo began, but Raph cut him off.

"Do not say 'monkey-ing around'." Raph said.

"I wasn't going to." Leo retorted.

"Yes, you were." Falco replied with a smirk. His eyes were bloodshot. I sensed corruption and evil clouding the lab.

"It's over, Falco! We know it was you who mutated Rockwell!" Donnie told Falco.

"I used him as a guinea pig." Falco admitted. Now, he's telling the truth.

"Well, it didn't work. You turned him into a monkey." Mikey replied.

"Falco, how could you do this to your own partner?" I asked.

"The psychic neurochemical I extracted from his mutant brain is changing me. Your minds are opening up to me." Falco answered.

"So this was your plan all along." Donnie summarized.

"Of course. No man can defeat you when you know his every thought." Falco admitted with a smile.

I glared at the madman and hissed, "You're as low as a rat..."

"Oh, really? Then you must know I'm gonna smack-" Raph began his threat, but Falco saw it coming.

"Smack the white off my lab coat?" Falco laughed at the irony, "How humorous!"

"Lucky guess!" Raph said, and then attacked Falco, but Falco dodged, "What?"

Falco chuckled and gave Raph a 'Come-get-me' motion. Raph tried to attack Falco again, but Falco dodged and kept his distance from Raph. Falco chuckled again and waved his finger, clicking his tongue. Raph aimed a kick, but Falco dodged and took Raph's sai. Falco hit Raph in the face, with the hilt of his sai and then kicked him toward Mikey, Donnie and I. Raph was out-cold.

Leo unsheathed his weapons and began attacking Falco. But Falco dodged and kept his distance.

"Whoa! It's like he's psychic!" Mikey said in awe.

"He is psychic, shell brain. That's what he just said." Donnie pointed out.

"Oh, yeah, I kinda tuned out when he did his whole 'I'm evil, blah, blah, blah' thing. Heh." Mikey admitted. Wow. Master Splinter wasn't kidding about those challenges.

Leo continued to try and attack Falco, but Falco was too fast. Falco caught Leo's katanas and threw them toward Mikey, Donnie and I. Luckily, we dodged them. Falco hit Leo with Raph's sai, knocking him out-cold.

I felt my heart freeze a little, "Leo!" But, the burning anger in my chest thawed it out, "You're gonna pay for this, Falco!"

I dashed toward Falco and unsheathed my eskrima sticks.

I heard Donnie shout, "Ellie, no!" But, my anger deafened me. I activated the taser-ends and began attacking Falco. Falco dodged and kept his distance, but I kept him on his toes.

* * *

 **Donatello's POV.**

Ellie was attacking Falco with great agility. She's got Falco on his toes. One bad move and he's toast. Even fueled by anger, she still keeps herself under control. Raph could learn from her.

"How are we going to defeat him if he can read our minds?" I asked Mikey.

Mikey smiled, "No prob. I'm good at this. I just have to fight without thinking!" Then it hit him, "Wait a minute, how do I fight without thinking?" Then, he got confused, "Oh, no! Now I'm thinking about not thinking!"

Mikey's dillema was cut short by Falco, hitting him at the back of head with Raph's sai. Ellie tried to jab at Falco, when his back was turned, but Falco dodged and Ellie ran into the door. She was able to stop herself from hitting the door and turned to face Falco.

"A man who can read minds is unstoppable. Once I dispose of you two, no one will be able to stand in my way." Falco told Ellie and myself.

Ellie conjoined her sticks into a staff, like mine, and I drew my staff. "We'll see about that." I told Falco.

Ellie and I tried to double-team, but Falco dodged our every move. Falco threw Raph's sai at us, but I blocked it with my staff. Elle and I jabbed Falco, but he grabbed our staffs and threw us into the nearest wall. Ellie fell unconscious, whilst my back ached for a few seconds.

"I really must admire that complex brain of yours. You come up with so many ideas. Too bad I can see them all coming." Falco complemented, told me. "By the way, do you really think you have a chance with April?" He asked.

Those words struck a nerve, but I had to remember what Ellie and Master Splinter told me. "I can do this. Just have to fight without thinking. No thinking. No thinking." I muttered to myself. I closed my eyes and tried to clear my head. I was successful. I found a space between my thoughts, "Don't think. Just do."

I charged toward Falco and hit him with two kicks, forcing him into the all behind him. Falco charged toward me, but I stepped aside and tripped him. I gave Falco an upperhook, then kicked him in the back, causing him to stumble to his desk. Angry, Falco tried to throw a punch at me, but I dodged with a backflip. I landed on the wall and threw a round of spinning punches. The force caused Falco to fall into the torn open cage. Falco fell unconscious.

* * *

 **Eleanor's POV.**

I regained consciousness and saw that Donnie defeated Falco and Falco was inside the torn cage. The others regained consciousness as well.

"Whoa, Donnie, nice work!" Raph said with a smile.

"Well done, Don." I praised, placing a hand over his shoulder.

"What'd I tell you about those back flips, huh? Pretty cool!" Mikey asked, then smiled, holding the canister of Mutagen.

"Now that we have the ooze, let's see what Falco knows about the Kraang." Donnie said. We looked at the cage and Falco was nowhere to be found, "Falco's gone!"

Rockwell came to and struggled to get out of the chair.

Mikey looked at his brothers and me, "What do we do about him?"

Donnie released the cuffs and Rockwell ran to the window.

He opened the window, then looked at us, " _ **Thank you, Eleanor. And Turtles.**_ "

"I'm no psychic, but I think he's trying to thank us." Donnie said.

I smiled, "You're welcome, Professor."

Rockwell jumped out the window and into the city.

"Um, if he reacts to angry thoughts, is New York city really the best place for him?" Raph asked.

Before we could answer, we heard Rockwell nearly got hit by a nearby car. A man shouted, in an Indian accent, "Hey, monkey! Get outta the-"

Rockwell reacted and trashed the man's car.

"I'm sure he'll be okay." Leo answered with a small smile.

* * *

 _ ***Later, back at the Lair***_

April left the dojo, after her little chat with Master Splinter. Mikey was off somewhere. Raph was in the lounge, reading a comic book. Donnie was in his lab. And Leo and I were sparring.

Donnie walked to the doorway of his lab, "Hey, April, you, uh, wanna hang out tonight?" He asked April, as soon as she walked by him.

"That sounds great, Donnie, but I can't. I'm training with Splinter to be a Kunoichi." April replied.

"Oh." Donnie said, then he went behind his door, then smiled, "Well then, maybe we can train together sometime."

"Sounds great!" April smiled. Then she walked off.

"You see? My flowchart is awesome!" Donnie cheered in enthusiasm.


	8. Never Say Xever

Never Say Xever.

 _ **"How dare you! You're no sister of mine!"**_

 **Eleanor's POV.**

I sat up awake from the nightmare, panting. Cold sweat dropped from my forehead. This was the fourth time, this week, I've had that nightmare. How can someone say that?

"Ellie? You okay?" I heard Mikey asked me.

Oh, my bad. I was spending my day with Master Splinter and the Turtles. I had a sparring session with Raph. Raph placed a bet on who would go the longest. The loser would have to clean out the pizza boxes in the Lair. So, we fought until one of us was exhausted. I lost, of course. I cleared out the boxes and must've crashed on the couch. Instead of taking a nap, I must've fell asleep and had my nightmare.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead and calmed myself down, "I'm fine, Mikey. It was just a nightmare."

"Sounded more than a nightmare to me. You were moaning and screaming." Raph commented.

"Oh. Sorry about that, guys." I sheepishly smiled, scratching the back of my head, embarrassed. I looked and noticed someone put a blanket over me, "Who put this over me?"

"Leo did." Mikey answered, pointed to Leo, who was sitting on the other side, blushing and rubbing the back of his head.

I lightly blushed as well, "Thank you, Leo."

"What was your dream about?" Donnie asked.

"Just something silly." I answered. I don't want to worry the boys too much.

"Hey, guys!" A familiar voice shouted from the toll gates.

The boys and I looked and saw April entering the Lair. The boys and I were happy to see her.

"Hey, April. What's up?" Leo greeted, then asked.

"Well, I found a noodle shop, downtown. And I was thinking you guys can join me in checking it out." April answered with a smile.

The boys and I smiled. It's been a while since the boys got out of the sewer. The boys and I got our ninja gear, just in case. And followed April to the noodle shop. I followed like a normal person would. But, the Turtles kept to the shadows. It slowed us down a bit. Can't blame the boys being cautious. They're Mutants. If I was a Mutant, I'd be hiding in the shadows as well.

"You guys want to speed it up a little?" April asked, looking behind her.

"Are you saying turtles are slow?" Donnie asked, from the ticket booth of the theater.

"That's a hurtful stereotype." Mikey said, from the other side of the booth, with Raph behind him.

"Trust us, April. We are better off keeping a low profile." Leo assured, from the poster wall, "We find people treat us better when they don't know we exist." He explained.

"Sorry. I'm just so excited to get you out of the sewer for a change." April said with a smile.

"What are you talking about? We go out all the time." Raph asked, then pointed out.

"Yeah, but tonight you're going to do something besides hitting people." April answered.

"Aww." Raph moaned, dropping into a shlump posture.

"Don't worry. You're going to love this noodle place I found." April reassured the Turtles.

"And you're sure we'll be welcome?" Donnie asked.

"Oh, yeah. Mr. Murakami doesn't care what you look like. In fact, he won't even know what you look like. He's blind." April answered and explained. I smiled with her, then... Did she say Murakami?

"Awesome." Mikey smiled, but got hit at the back of the head, by Raph.

I gave Mikey a look, "Mikey..."

"I mean, for us obviously." He corrected.

"Wait, did you say Murakami?" I asked April with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, why?" April answered, then asked.

Raph sighed, "Don't tell us. You know him."

I smiled with a nodd, "Yeah. He's my boss."

"Boss?" Donnie asked.

"Oh, yeah. I got a part-time job, as his assistant, a few days ago." I explained. I looked over to Raph and noticed that he was giving me a look. I rubbed the back of my head, "Like I said before, Raph. I'll keep you posted."

We arrived at the noodle store. However, by the shadows of the window curtains, chaos was happening. Three early adult men were trashing the shop from the inside and bullying an elderly man.

"Oh, no." April gasped.

I sighed with a bored expression on my face, "Not again..."

"Who are those creeps?" Donnie asked.

"The Purple Dragons." April answered.

"They think they own the streets around here." I explained.

Things started to go sour, as there was nothing else to destroy. So, the Purple Dragons turned their view to Murakami-san.

Murakami was a chubby, early-elder man of Japanese descent. He wore a chef's hat, a white collared shirt, brown pants, a Japanese apron and wooden sandals. Over his eyes, Murakami wore a pair of round shades, bringing a dead giveaway that he was blind.

"Guys, we have to help him." I told the Turtles.

"So much for not hitting people tonight." Leo said to Raph.

Raph smiled, "Oh, well."

The boys and I dashed into the entrance and got into a defensive stance, with Mikey shouting, "Booyakasha!"

The Purple Dragons looked and saw us. Now I can to the description of these street punks. The Purple Dragons have three things in common. They're of Asian descent. Their style of clothing are of hardcore rocker and street punk. And they have a dragon tattoo on their left arms. That's basically all I can say.

The leader, Fong, looked at me, "Hamato?"

I shrugged, "What's up, Fong."

"All right, let him go. You don't want any trouble." Leo told the Dragons.

"We, on the other hand, do." Raph included.

"Whoa, those guys were serious. They really are giant turtles." Fong, gasped, then told Tsoi and Sid.

Fong, by physical description, is shorter and skinnier than Tsoi and Sid.

Sid is buff, but stupid.

And Tsoi is a good combination between the other two, of course the only one with a goatie.

How do I know them? I used to be a member of their gang. I walked out on them a long time ago.

Hold on. The Purple Dragons have heard about the Turtles? How could... Xever, you sneaky fish.

"You've heard of us?" Mikey asked the Dragons, then he looked at his brothers, "Dudes, we're famous."

"That's bad." Donnie told Mikey.

"Oh. Right." Mikey said, with his smile falling.

"Whatever you are, this neighborhood is ours. So why don't you slither back to the ocean you came from?" Fong told the boys.

"Turtles don't slither, Fong!" I told Fong.

"Actually, we're freshwater turtles." Donnie told Fong, then got caught in thought, "I suspect that we're derived from the diamondback terrapin. But, it's possible we're a common box-"

"Get 'em!" Fong shouted, cutting Donnie off.

The boys and I dashed into combat with the Purple Dragons. Raph and I took Tsoi, Mikey and Donnie took on Sid, and Leo fought Fong. The Dragons were easy to take down, due to they know no ninjutsu.

However, in mid-fight, Mikey got side-tracked by a bowl of ramen. April, who tried to stay out of the fights and get Murakami out, notice Sid aiming to take Mikey by surprise, and threw a wok lid at him. The impact threw him to the ground.

Mikey noticed and gave April a thumbs up, "Thanks, April."

April smiled, "You're welcome." April help Murakami's arm over her shoulder and lead him to the exit. She saw a dish flying toward her, so she yelled, "Duck!" Murakami ducked and April helped him out of the shop.

Donnie, Mikey, Raph and I were able to defeat Tsoi and Sid with no trouble. Leo defeated Fong, but he didn't knock him out. He let Fong go.

"Get out of here." Leo told Fong with a glare.

Fong smirked, and walked toward the exit of the shop. He woke his gang, "Come on. Let's go." Then he looked at the Turtles and me, "This ain't over, greenie. Nor for you, Hamato." Then he ran off to who-knows-where. Maybe to tell Xever what he saw.

"'Greenie'? Really? I wonder how many brain cells he put to work on that." Donnie wondered.

"You just let him go? What the heck was that?" Raph asked Leo.

"They weren't exactly a threat. They'd had enough." Leo answered.

"Dude! They were beating up a blind guy. There's no 'enough'. Now they'll think we're wimps and we don't have the guts to finish the job." Raph shouted.

Leo sulked a little.

I lightly smiled at Leo, "I think you did the right thing, Leo."

Leo looked at me and smiled back.

"And how do you know those guys?" Raph asked me, giving me a suspicious look.

"Why angry at me? I was just a member of their gang, until I ditched them. I never hurt anyone." I answered with all honesty.

"Wow. That was great, you guys." April said, leading Murakami back inside.

"Thanks, April. Did you see when I caught the one guy and flipped him onto the counter? Did it look cool?" Donnie answered, then asked. He chuckled, "I bet it looked cool."

"The coolest." April answered with a big smile and looked away slightly.

Donnie's smile fell, "You didn't see it, did you?"

"No, I did not." April admitted.

"My friends, I'm indebted to you. Please, allow me to make you a meal. Free of charge." Murakami spoke up with a smile.

Raph smiled, "I think we can allow that."

"What is your favorite dish?" Murakami asked.

The boys smiled and said in unison, "Pizza!"

Murakami nodded then asked me, "Ellie-chan, would you like to help me with this dish?"

I smiled, " **はい** **,** **村上様** (Hai, Murakami-sama/Yes, Mr. Murakami)."

And like that, Murakami and I got to work. Murakami took care of the of the ingredients, while I took care of the dough and the herbs and spices. Murakami was really quick and checked on every piece of food that needed a lid lifted, or flipping.

"Murakami-san, that was awesome!" Donnie said, as he watched us.

"You're like a ninja, but for food." Mikey smiled.

Once Murakami and I were finished, we served four dishes of gyoza dumplings.

"Pizza gyoza." Murakami indentified with a smile.

"Pizza gyoza?" April wondered.

The boys looked unsure. "Go ahead, guys. You'll like them." I assured.

The boys tried one and they looked like their eyes were about to fall out of their heads. The boys smiled in delight, "Wow." "Delish!"

"It's like I got a one-way ticket to Flavorville." Donnie said with a smile.

I chuckled and proudly folded my arms, "Told ya so."

"This is really good too, you know." April said, holding her bowl of ramen soup.

The boys looked at her, then returned to their food. I lightly smiled. They're boys. One-track-minded when it comes to food. I should know, my best cousin, from my father's side, is a boy. Haven't seen him in a while. I wonder how that crazy Hockey Puck is doing?

A thought came to Leo. "Uh, Murakami-san, do the Purple Dragons come around a lot?" He asked Murakami.

Murakami sighed as his smile fell, "Yes. They demand protection money but I refuse to pay. They will surely return."

"Well, they wouldn't if somebody hadn't wimped out." Raph replied, shooting a look at Leo.

Leo sulked a little. I gave Leo a ressuring hand over his shoulder. Being the micheivous little brother, Mikey took the last of Leo's pizza gyoza. Leo noticed and gave Mikey a glare. Mikey chuckled.

* * *

 _ ***Later, back at the Lair.***_

I went to the Lair with the Turtle's to continue my training with Uncle Splinter. The boys were doing their own thing, and April returned to her home.

As I trained with Splinter, a nagging pain at the back of my mind kept distracting me. It got worse when Splinter aimed a punch at me, as his image was replaced by Shredder's. I gasped, tried to protect myself and braced for the attack. Splinter hit me and the force caused me to fall on my back.

I rubbed my head and saw Splinter giving me his hand. I took his hand and he helped me up.

"What is wrong, Eleanor? You seem more distracted that normal." Splinter asked.

"I'm worried, Sensei. The city's punk gang, the Purple Dragons, know about your sons, before meeting them. I fear Shredder is making his next move." I admitted.

"You seem to know a lot about the Shredder. Is there something you're not telling us?" Splinter commented, then asked.

My blood ran cold by the question. I don't know if I should tell him, or keep it a secret. If I do tell them, what will they say? What will they do? My train of thought was broken by Raph's voice.

"Whoa, whoa, Leo. I think he's had enough. You better let him go." Raph said.

"I get it. You're making fun of me for not mercilessly pummeling a helpless man." Leo's voice spoke up.

"Yes, I am. You showed weakness. Those guys only understand one language." Raph answered.

"Chinese?" Mikey guessed.

"No. Fists." Raph replied.

"What about feet?" Mikey asked.

Raph sighed, "They understand feet."

"That would make them bilingual." Donnie pointed out. Master Splinter and I exit the dojo, to see what the argument was about.

"Argh! The point is we can't go soft on them!" Raph shouted.

"To show mercy is not soft. It is a sign of true strength." Splinter said. I nodded in agreement.

"But, Sensei, they're criminals. This is war." Raph pointed out.

I shook my head lightly, "They're not criminals, Raph. They're a gang of punks. Every city has a few."

"A Daimyo of the 16th century once said, 'In times of peace, never forget the possibility of war. In times of war, never forget compassion.'" Uncle Splinter quoted. I smiled and nodded. Miyamoto-Sensei said the same thing to me.

"I'm guessing that guy lost a lot of wars." Raph commented.

Master Splinter narrowed his eyes and quickly aimed his cane at Raph. The quick motion caused Raph to gasp and tense up.

Master Splinter smiled, "You see? Mercy." Then, he used his cane to hit Raph's arm.

"Ow! Okay, look. Compassion is great. But the Purple Dragons are not going to leave Murakami alone." Raph corrected, then pointed out.

"So we'll track down the Dragons and make sure they got the message. And if they didn't, we'll send them one." Leo answered, then punched his hand, proving his point, "Special delivery."

"Was that meant to sound tough or stupid?" Raph asked.

"How are we gonna track someone down when we can't talk to anybody?" Donnie wondered.

I thought for a second, then smirked, "I think I know who can help us."

* * *

 _ ***Later, in the city.***_

After telling April my plan, she and I found the guy we were looking for. A Chinese fish shop owner, Zhao.

* * *

( **A/N: I know this guy is known as 'Shopkeeper', but I wanted to give him a name.** )

* * *

He was sweeping just outside his store. Like the Purple Dragons, Zhao was of Asian descent, and was wearing a light grey, collared shirt, dark pants and shoes with suspenders.

April tapped Zhao's shoulder, getting his attention, looked both ends of the street and said to him, "We're looking for the Purple Dragons."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Zhao answered, looking away from us.

I looked at the streets, as April whispered to him, "Don't worry, we can protect you. We're undercover cops."

"You look like you're 16 and your friend looks 14." He told April and I.

I lightly smiled and shrugged, "Relax, Zhao. You know me."

Zhao looked at me closely then recognized me, "Oh, you've really grown up, Hamato." Then he looked at April, "And she's your partner?"

"I know. I'm really good at this." April said, leaning on the window stand. She leaned too close in and she broke the stand, "Whoa." The fish fell on to the street. April lightly blushed and smiled.

"Real smooth." I commented, pinching the bridge of my nose and shaking my head. I felt April give me a look. I've spent too much time with Raph.

"Let me see your badges." Zhao requested.

"Are you crazy?" I asked.

"We can't carry a badge. That would blow our cover." April pointed out.

"I suppose that makes sense." Zhao thought, scratching his head.

April and I smiled.

After Zhao told us everything we needed to know. The Turtles and I made our way to the Purple Dragons' hang, a run-down tattoo parlor. One good thing about the Dragons, they know how to pick their hideouts. April went home, since she had homework to finish. I finished mine two nights ago.

"Zhao said this was the place." I told the Turtles.

"Cool. Can we get tattoos?" Mikey smiled, then asked. "I want to get one of my face on my face. It'll be like I'm wearing a mask and the mask is me." He cheered in enthusiasm. The boys and I just looked at him. "I just blew your minds, right?" Mikey asked, folding his arms with a smile.

"You know they use needles for that." Donnie pointed out.

"Can it, dorks." Raph told the younger brothers, as he saw Fong walk out of the parlor and began walking down the street, "There he is."

The boys and I quietly followed Fong down the street, until he walked into an abandoned fortune cookie factory. We waited a few seconds, got our weapons ready and charged though the window.

"Freeze, dirt bags!" Leo shouted, until we saw that the Purple Dragons were accompanied by Bradford, Xever, and my sister, Sam. "Uh-oh." Leo muttered.

"I think we can find them ourselves." Xever said with a smirk.

"Oh, man. This is awkward. It's Chris Bradford, my ex-friend. The Kunoichi and that other guy." Mikey grimaced.

"The name is Xever. So you don't forget, I'll write it on your shells..." Xever introduced himself, then got his knives ready, "With these."

The Purple Dragons and Shredder's henchmen dashed into battle with me and the Turtles. We spread out and took on an opponent, or two, each.

Leo and I took care of Sid and Fong. Fong tried to sneak-attack on us, but we caught him and he hit his face against a wall. He turned to see Leo's katana and my eskrima stick aimed at his face.

"You're making me sorry I let you go." Leo told Fong.

Unknown to me and Leo, Sam and Xever sneaked behind us, Xever attacked Leo and threw him down the stairs, whilst Sammy threw me against the railing. Sam got her kamas out and aimed to attack me. I blocked her attack with my sticks.

The boys were fighting Bradford, Xever and the Dragons. They weren't holding up very well.

" **姉は** **、私** **はあなたを傷つけたくはありません** (Ane wa, watashi wa anata o kizutsuketaku wa arimasen/Older sister, I don't want to hurt you)." I told my sister.

I was able to push her away from me. I tried to run and help my friends, but Sam stopped me. Obviously, she wanted me away from them.

" **どうして彼と一緒いる** **?** (Dōshite kare to issho iru/Why are you with him?)" I asked, talking about her working for Shredder.

" **あなたは何について話していますか** **？** (Anata wa nani ni tsuite hanashite imasu ka/What are you talking about?)" Sam asked me with a confused look, " **彼は私たちを提起** **.** (Kare wa watashitachi o teiki/He raised us.)"

" **何** **?** (Nani/What?) **サム** **、** **ます独自の鼻の前で見ることができないか** (Samu, masu dokuji no hana no mae de miru koto ga dekinai ka/Sam, can't you see in front of your own nose)? **彼があなたに嘘をいます** (Kare ga anata ni uso o imasu/He's lying to you). " I asked, then pointed out.

My words must've touched a nerve is Sam's mind. She shouted, " **びっくり電話** **!** (Bikkuri denwa/How dare you!) **ます鉱山なく姉じゃないんだ** **!** (Masu kōzan naku ane janai nda/You're no sister of mine!)"

My eyes widened and my blood froze. My nightmare was a vision. I felt my heart literally break like glass.

Sammy dashed at me and threw some very violent blows at me. I tried to block, dodge and counter, but her anger made her too quick. Using my instincts and agility, I grabbed Sammy's arms and performed a **巴投** (Tomoe-Nage/Circle Throw or Monkey Flip), to throw her toward the wall.

Sam recovered and whistled loudly. Within seconds, ninjas of the Foot Clan arrived. The Turtles and I were out-numbered.

"Turtles, Ellie, fall back!" Leo told us, sheathing his weapons.

Raph looked at his older brother, as the ninjas threw kunai knives and stars at us, "We're giving up? Again? You kidding me?"

"Yes, it's all part of my hilarious 'let's all live' routine." Leo answered, as he jumped toward the ceilling.

The boys and narrowly made our escape and dashed off, back to the Lair. I looked back at Sam for a second, before catching up.

"Hey! Stay and fight, you cold-blooded cowards!" I heard Xever shout, but we ignored him.

The Turtles and I returned to the Lair and rested. All of us were feeling down, due to not being able to finish, or win this battle. I couldn't stop thinking about Sam's words.

'You're no sister of mine.'

The words echoed in my head. My heart ached so much that I had to fight back tears. The poor girl. Undergoing unimaginable torture, and she doesn't remember me.

"Man, could that fight have been any more embarrassing?" Raph asked, punching the dummy in frustration.

"Sure. We could have been hit in the face with pies." Mikey answered, not knowing the Raph's question was rhetorical.

Raph glared at Mikey in annoyance.

Leo sighed, "It's called fighting smart, Raph." He stood up and looked at his brother, "The Purple Dragons have Bradford, that Kunoichi and Xever on their side now. Last time, we barely beat those guys." Leo pointed out.

"Yeah, because they're willing to fight to the finish. The only way to beat them is to be just as ruthless as they are." Raph argued.

"Raphael, this 'Xever' can cross lines that you won't. This may make him dangerous, but it does not make him strong." Master Splinter told Raph.

"But Xever wins fights. Isn't that what matters? And he never shows anyone mercy." Raph pointed out, folding his arms.

Leo looked down in thought, then he looked at me, "Ellie, you know something about that Kunoichi. You two were speaking like you know each other very well." He told me.

This got everyone's attention. I guess I can't hide the truth now. I rubbed my arms in discomfort and sighed, "Yeah, I do."

Raph gave me a look, "Care to tell us?"

I closed my eyes and braced myself, "The Kunoichi is my sister, Samantha."

The boys and Master Splinter were shocked by this information. Now everything about my family becomes clear.

I remembered what Master Splinter said, 'What you hide may be dangerous to those around you.'

He was right, if we're gonna fight the Shredder, I have to tell my friends the truth. Regardless of the consequences.

"You're related to Shredder?" Donnie asked, finally able to speak.

My eyes widen,"What?" Then I shook my head, "No! Heavens no." I looked at my fidgeting hands, "You see, after my uncle's 'disappearance', and my former Sensei's death, my mother knew she would be next. She tried to keep me and Sam safe by moving here to New York. Of course, it didn't last long. Shredder killed my mother and set our home ablaze. My father was away on a business trip. I was able to escape the attack, and I bumped into the Purple Dragons. That's how I became a member of the gang. It was a few months after Mother's fight with Vic."

Mikey looked at me, confused. I looked at him, "Spider Bytez." Mikey nodded in understanding.

I closed my eyes, fighting tears, "The leader at the time, Xever, noticed my ninjutsu skills and had me become a pupil of Shredder." I looked at the boys dead in eyes, before continuing, "But, I wanted nothing to do with it. So, a few weeks after I turned twelve, I made my escape. I made it, of course. But, I didn't notice Sam was alive and watching me the whole time." I lowered my head to a sulk, "The last thing I remember was Shredder telling me I have my uncles eyes, and I should suffer the same fate as he did." I shook my head, "So, now Sam's become a member of his elite henchman and doesn't remember anything about her family. The sister I know and love, slowly fading to a cold soul."

"Whoa..." Mikey gasped.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Raph asked.

I hugged myself in fear, with tears welling up in my eyes again, "Because, I was afraid what you guys would do to me, if you found out." I admitted.

I braced myself, the tears falling down my cheeks, unsure what the boys were gonna do, or say. Then, they did something that surprised me.

"Ellie, do you really think we're that shallow?" Leo asked, putting my hands into his.

My tears stopped. That look in Leo's eyes. His brothers and mentor had the same look. The only time I've seen this look is from April and my cousin; Acceptance.

"You're our friend, Elle. We don't care if you were the bad guy's student." Mikey included, placing a hand over my shoulder.

"Indeed, you have proven to have a heart of a true warrior." Master Splinter said with a kind smile.

The boys thew their arms around me. Tears of happiness welled up in my eyes. I haven't felt so happy, since Miyamoto-Sensei gave me my green bandana and April became my friend.

"Thank you guys." I said, returning the hug.

The boys released the hug after a few seconds.

"So, if you're not really related to the Shredder, then who?" Donnie asked.

I looked at Splinter, wondering if I should tell them. Splinter gave me a smile and nodded.

"My mother's name was Hamato Leiko." I answered.

The boys' eyes widen in shock. Well, except for Mikey, who raised a brown in thought.

"Hamato Leiko..." He repeated, "Where have I heard that name before?"

I lightly giggled, "Mikey. My mother is your father's sister."

Mikey's eyes widened in clarity Then the boys threw their arms around me again and I returned them.

Unfortunately, the tender moment was dissolved by my cell phone ringing in April's notification tone. The boys let me go and I got my cell out from my pocket. I answered and read the message.

"What is it?" Donnie asked.

"It's April. She wants us to meet her at Murakami's noodle shop, ASAP." I answered.

The boys and I got our ninja gear and dashed out of the Lair, into the city, to meet April. She was pacing back and forth in front the entrance of Murakami's shop.

"April, what's wrong?" Leo asked April.

"It's Murakami." April answered.

She opened the door and the shop looked like it was torn inside-out. And Murakami was nowhere to be found.

"Someone took him and left this." April explained and showed us a note on the wall, pinned by a familiar street knife.

I looked at the knife and instantly recognized it, "That's Xever's knife."

"Sweet! Free knife." Mikey smiled.

"The note, dummy." Donnie pointed out to Mikey. Donnie took the note and began reading, "' _No more running. If you want the old man, meet us on the roof of the fortune cookie factory_.'"

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's bust in there and save Murakami." Raph asked and exclaimed.

"Not so fast. Think, Raphael." Leo told Raph.

"There's two words that don't usually go together." Donnie commented.

"This is obviously a trap." Leo summarized

"Well, what choice do we have?" Raph asked.

Leo thought for a second, then smiled, "Maybe we do need to think more like Xever."

"But Master Splinter said-" Donnie interjected, but was cut off by Leo.

"I know. But Xever crossed the line dragging Murakami into this. He's got to learn that we can cross the line too. No more Mr. Nice Turtle." Leo explained, then smiled.

"Yes!" Raph cheered, then smiled, punching his hand, "I never liked Mr. Nice Turtle."

I thought for a second and smirked, "And I think I know where to start."

After a little while, Leo explained a plan of an exchange of Bradford for Murakami. The Turtles and I arrived at the tattoo parlor and waited for Bradford to show his face.

"Remember, he's strong. So speed and stealth are essential." I reminded the boys.

"Okay, everybody know the plan?" Leo asked, recieving a nodd from Donnie, Raph and myself. Leo looked over to his youngest brother, "Mikey?"

"Yes." Mikey answered with a bland smile.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yes." Mikey smiled, pointing at me to confirm.

Leo folded his arms, "Tell me what it is."

Mikey thought for a few seconds and then smiled sheepishly, "Um... Maybe we should go over it one more time?"

The boys and I sighed and rubbed our temples in annoyance. We ran through the plan with Mikey, again. And we made sure that he remembered. After a few minutes of waiting, Bradford left the parlor and Raph appeared behind him.

Bradford prepared for a fight, but Leo and I jumped on top of him and Raph tackled him down. Mikey bound Bradford with rope and Donnie used duct tape to prevent Bradford from shouting for help. To make he doesn't escape, the Turtles and I encased him into a trashcan and chained it up with a lock.

"Gentlemen, welcome to the other side of the line." Leo said with a smile.

"Now I'm definitely going to need a tat." Mikey smiled, but Raph hit him in the arm, "Ow!"

Mikey and Raph tried to pick up Bradford, but his muscle mass and the weight of the trashcan made it quite difficult. "Dang, this sucker's heavy." Raph commented.

Mikey lost his grip and Bradford rolled off Raph's back and rolled into the wall.

"Sorry." Mikey apologised to Bradford.

"Don't apologize to him." Raph told him.

"I mean, sorry I didn't drop you harder!" Mikey corrected.

"There you go." Raph smiled.

With none of us strong enough to lift the trashcan, Raph decided it would be better to roll Bradford over to the fortune cookie factory. Have to say, it was quite funny to hear Bradford mumble in pain.

"Cozy in there?" Leo asked.

Bradford mumbled in response, as Raph and Mikey rolled him down the street.

"Good." Raph replied with a smirk.

We arrived at the fortune cookie factory, but there was little to no sign of Xever, Sam, or Murakami. Until Donnie looked up.

"Uh-oh, you guys. Look." Donnie said.

The boys and I looked up and saw that Xever was on the roof, walking on a wooden pillar, and Murakami was hanging on a rope. Anger burned in my chest.

"Dude, Xever's a jerk." Mikey said.

"You have no idea..." I growled.

The Turtles and I made our way to the roof of the factory, Xever was accompanied by the Purple Dragons, and Sam, who wasn't wearing her mask this time.

"We're here, Xever." I called, getting Xever's attention. Xever smirked.

"Now let the noodle man go." Leo told the Brazilian henchman.

"Sorry, there's been a change of plans." Xever said with a smirk. A group of Foot Ninjas appeared and got prepared for a fight.

Leo smiled, "Actually, there's been another change of plans."

Mikey and Donnie unlock the chains and lifted the trashcan to reveal Bradford.

"I love it when a change of plans comes together." Donnie smiled.

"You let our friend go and we'll let your friend go." Leo told Xever.

Xever chuckled and smirked, "He's not my friend."

The boys looked at each other, as Xever walked toward Murakami and began cutting the rope with his knife. As a reaction, Raph leaned Bradford over the edge as well.

"Uh, we're not kidding. Okay, s-stop or we'll toss him." Leo studdered, trying to keep his cool.

"Go ahead. It'll save me the trouble." Xever said with a confident smirk.

Xever continued to cut the rope. The anger in my chest got too much. I had to retaliate.

"You snakehead!" I shouted, about to dash to attack Xever, but Donnie held me back.

"Uh, Raph?" Leo called, giving up.

Raph looked at Bradford and sighed, "Aw, crud."

Raph threw Bradford away from the edge and on to the floor.

Xever chuckled, "That's what I thought."

Sammy pointed at us and shouted, "Attack!"

The Foot Ninjas dashed toward us. Donnie let go of me and I dashed toward the ninjas. I may be angry, but I'm not that much like Raph. I know how to control myself.

The Turtles and I defeated the Foot Ninjas with ease. However, the more we defeated, more came. Of course, Xever tried to throw us off-guard by throwing kunai knives at us, but we dodged or deflected them. After some time of defeating the ninjas, their numbers got us surrounded.

"All right. Let's settle the score, pond scum." Bradford said, anger clear in his aura and eyes.

"We're the ones who didn't want to throw you off the roof." Donnie pointed out, but Bradford didn't listen.

Along with the ninjas, Xever, Bradford and Sam joined into the battle. It was difficult for the boys and I to keep up. As I was fighting the ninjas and Sam, I noticed that she wasn't harming my friends. It was only me she was aiming for.

Mikey and Donnie didn't last long against Bradford and Xever. Raph was in battle with Xever, and Xever was too quick. Leo was battling Bradford, as he was doing well. I held my own against my own sister, but she was getting quicker. Xever was able to kick Raph down, this caught Leo's attention.

"Raph!" Leo called out to his brother in worry.

Unfortunately, Xever and Bradford took this distraction as an opportunity and beat Leo down. I noticed this and I got worried too.

"Leo!" I called.

Sammy caught me, while my guard was down and tripped me into the air with Shredder's Death Dragon Kata. While I was in the air, Sam punched me in the stomach and the force threw me with the Turtles.

Xever chuckled, "See, Bradford? That is how you catch turtles. And next, I'll show you how to fillet them."

"You'd never have caught them without me and you know it." Bradford argued.

Xever chuckled, "Oh, yes. What would we have done without your brave leadership from inside the trash can?"

I heard metal clashing with stone. I opened my eyes and saw one of Leo's katanas. I looked over and saw Leo noticed it too. We looked and saw Fong with a look on his face, before he ran off. Leo smiled and I looked at him with a smile. I knew he made the right choice on letting Fong go.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, it's time to cut these turtles into little pieces." Xever said, as he got his knife ready.

Leo stood up and aimed his katana at Xever, "I don't think so."

Leo jumped backward and cut through the support of the water tank. I moved the other boys back, so they wont get caught by the rushing water, that caught Bradford, Sam, Xever and the rest of the Foot Ninjas. However the water put pressure on the pillar and the rope that held Murakami snapped. Being faster, Mikey used his kusarigama chain and saved Murakami from the fall.

"I got him!" Mikey called.

"Nice save, Mikey." Leo smiled, then he, his brothers and I began to pull Mikey and Murakami up.

"Don't look down, Murakami-san. Or, um, listen down." Mikey told Murakami.

I noticed Leo looking across the street. I followed his gaze and I saw Fong, looking at us and, then running off again. Leo looked at me and I smiled. He smiled back at me.

* * *

 _ ***Later, at Murakami's Shop.***_

We returned Murakami back to his store and he said he had a for us for his rescue. He walked into his kitchen and came back with a sealed white bag.

"Accept this token of my gratitude. Pizza gyoza." Murakami said with a smile.

"Awesome. Thanks, Murakami-san." Donnie said, taking the back.

"You're welcome, Ellie and Turtle-san." Murakami replied.

The boys and I bowed, but Donnie noticed what Murakami said, "Wait, how did you-"

"I do have other senses. Touch, smell." Murakami explained.

The boys and I looked at Mikey. Mikey lifted his arm and sniffed his armpit. He quickly lowered his arm and sheepishly smiled.

"You don't think we're weird and scary?" Leo asked.

"You saved my life. Who am I to complain? Any friend of Ellie-chan's is a friend of mine." Murakami answered.

Mikey smiled and hugged Murakami. Murakami gasped in surprise, then smiled. I smiled as well. The Turtles were able to make another friend, regardless of their appearance.

* * *

 _ ***Later, back at the Lair***_

The Turtles, April, Master Splinter and I were sitting around the lounge, enjoying our pizza gyoza. Leo told Master Splinter what happened and Donnie was trying to convince April to try the gyoza.

"Just try one. Sometimes things that don't seem like they go together actually make a great couple." Donnie tried to reason, but realized what he said, then corrected, "I mean, food."

April sighed in defeat, "Fine." She took the gyoza, thought for a second, the smiled in delight, "Whoa. These are amazing."

Donnie smiled. However, April the last three gyoza on Donnie's plate. I lightly giggled at the moment.

"You boys showed your strength today." Master Splinter told Raph, Leo and myself.

"Yeah, but we almost got beaten." Raph pointed out.

"Your strength was mercy. That is why the Purple Dragon helped you." Master Splinter explained.

Leo looked at Raph and smirked, "Well? Say it."

Raph sighed in defeat and admitted, "Okay, okay. You were right."

Leo smiled, "Ahh, see? That wasn't so-"

Raph cut Leo off with a smirk of his own, "Your wimpiness might not be totally useless."

Leo chuckled, "Oh-ho. I'll show you who's wimpy. No mercy."

And Leo and Raph got into a little play-fight. I couldn't help but smile and giggle. Unfortunately, my smile faded to worry as I can't help but think that The Shredder is gonna go after the Turtles and Uncle Splinter himself. And Sam doesn't remember anything. How did that happen? Can I tell her the truth?

My worry turned into determination. I won't let him harm my family. Not again!


	9. The Gauntlet

The Gauntlet (F.K.A: Enter Shredder).

 **Eleanor's POV.**

It's been two days since the battle for Murakami's life. And I'm starting to get really worried and afraid for my family. Shredder hasn't made his move and the boys are not ready to face him. Heck, last night, I had a nightmare of Shredder tearing the boys into pieces!

Ugh, listen to me. I sound like a paranoid nut-case.

Anywho, I spent my day with the Turtles, sparring, training with Uncle Splinter, and hanging out. Raph and Leo were in the dojo, sparring. I was in the dojo, with them, meditating. Donnie was in his lab and Mikey was in the kitchen.

Leo and Raph stopped sparring, and I awoke from my meditive state, as soon as Donnie walked into the dojo with a handful of eggs with a string tied around them and a rice-paper hat.

"Check it out, guys. We are about to take our ninjutsu to a whole new level." Donnie announced.

"Cool." Leo smiled, then knocked Raph down with a sweep on the leg.

"Last night, I figured out how to make ninja smoke bombs!" Donnie said. To demonstrate, he threw an egg on to the ground. A large cloud of black and purple smoke covered Donnie and he was gone. Another cloud of smoke appeared behind Leo and I, and Donnie appeared.

"Whoa." Leo gapsed in awe.

I smiled, "Cool."

"Now, to make 'em, I carefully drill two holes in an eggshell without cracking it, slowly blow out the contents, wait for the inside to dry, then pour in flash powder and seal both holes with wax." Donnie explained on how to create Smoke Bombs.

"Blah, blah, science, blah." Raph said, moving his hand like a puppet, then smiled in excitement, "Do it again!"

"What I'm trying to tell you guys is, they take a long time to make, so use them sparingly." Donnie noted to us.

"I'm making breakfast! Who wants omelets?" Mikey's voice sounded from the kitchen.

Donnie's face filled with fear and worry, "Omelets? Mikey, don't!"

Too late, a cloud of black and purple smoke appeared and it vanished to reveal Mikey with black powder covering his face and holding a bowl of smoke bombs.

"Uh, I think that was a rotten egg." Mikey said with a sheepish look.

Leo chuckled at the look on Mikey's face. I surpressed a laugh.

"Those aren't eggs, Mikey. They're ninja smoke bombs." Donnie told Mikey.

Mikey's face lit up to a cheshire cat grin, "Shut up." Then, he started throwing the smoke bombs and began 'poofing' all over the dojo, "This... is the... best day... of my life!"

"Mikey, stop!" Donnie shouted.

Mikey smirked, dropped another smoke bomb and he was gone. He appeared behind Donnie and hugged him, "I love you, man." Then, he kissed Donnie on the cheek, "Seriously."

The moment was broken by April's voice, as she entered the lounge of the Lair, "Guys! Guys, you'll never believe what happened to me."

The Turtles and I left the dojo and saw April sit down, hugging herself. " **Mon dieu** (My goodness), April. You're trembling. What happened?" I summarized, then asked my best human friend.

"All right, April, calm down. Are you okay?" Donnie told April, then asked her.

"I am being hunted by a giant pigeon!" April answered, still stricken with fear.

Raph laughed at the answer, but stopped as soon as he saw the rest of us not laughing. He frowned, "I can't be the only one who finds that funny."

"It's not funny, Raph. There's a creature out there trying to hurt my April." Donnie explained. He got a look from April, then he smiled and corrected himself, "Our April. April."

"This is serious. I'd better get Splinter." Mikey said.

"We don't really need-" Leo tried to answer, but Mikey already dropped a smoke bomb and Uncle Splinter appeared in his place.

"Michelangelo said you wanted to see me?" Uncle Splinter asked.

April told us what happened. As she explained the pigeon's description and behaviour, I began thinking about the Mutant. It started to sound like a reversed version of Mutants we've encountered.

"His talons were razor sharp. He would have torn me to pieces, if he hadn't slammed into the glass." April finished.

Raph laughed again, then stopped and frowned, "Really? Just me?"

Uncle Splinter jabbed Raph and the back of his head with his cane, "Raphael! Clearly April is upset."

"Yeah, dude, that's so insensitive." Mikey told Raph, then turned to April, "Do you need a tissue?"

"I think I'm okay." April answered.

"I'll get you a tissue." Mikey said, then used a smoke bomb to disappear for a second, then he reappered. "We don't have any tissues. Can I make you some soup?" Mikey told April, then asked her, readying another smoke bomb.

Thinking quickly, I took the bomb from his hand, "That's enough, Mikey!"

"Don't worry, April, we won't let anything happen to you." Donnie assured April.

"Donnie's right. We're gonna set a trap for this 'pigeon-man' and make sure he never bothers you again." Leo agreed and planned out.

"Well, I know what we can use as bait." Donnie said.

"Bread crumbs!" Mikey shouted, then got a looked from Leo and Donnie, "Pigeons eat bread crumbs."

"I meant April." Donnie answered.

Mikey stood in front of April, in defense, "You're gonna let him eat April? I thought you liked her!"

"Yeah!" April said, peeking from behind Mikey.

Donnie smiled assuringly, "Don't sweat it. We've got your back."

"All right, Mighty Mutants, let's do this." Leo smiled.

"'Mighty Mutants'? What, 'Dancing Dorks' was already taken?" Raph asked.

The boys got their ninja gear and made their way to the toll gates to wait for me. As I got my ninja gear, I stopped and looked at the green bandana, Miyamoto-Sensei gave me.

If my nightmare was a vision, like last time, I might as well let Shredder know that I'm with my family and I'm staying.

I put the bandana around my neck, over my choker, and saw how it fit. It made me feel like I was where I belong. I left the room and met up with the Turtles.

"Wait! We do not yet know what you are facing. Perhaps you should study your enemy before confronting him." Uncle Splinter spoke up.

"With all due respect, Sensei, it's a pigeon." Leo answered.

"What you know is dangerous to your enemy. What you think you know is dangerous to you. I fear you are all becoming overconfident." Splinter said, with worry evident in his voice.

I nodded, "I agree with **伯父さん** (Oji-san/Uncle), Leo. Overconfidence leads to a certain downfall."

"Sensei, Ellie, in the past few months, we've taken down giant spiders, plant creatures, alien robots, and an army of ninjas. Maybe we're not overconfident. Maybe we're just that good." Leo pointed out.

Before Splinter could say anthing else, Leo grabbed my hand and we left the Lair. The Turtles, April and I went over the plan one more time and we all picked a spot to hide. Leo hid in the dumpster, Raph hid in the manhole, Mikey was hiding in the fire escape, Donnie and I hid in the shadows. April just walked around.

"Here I am, walking around in the big city. All alone! Oh, I sure hope no crazy pigeon-man sneaks up on me. That would be the last thing I'd want." April said out loud, in an bad acting tone.

"What are you doing?" Donnie asked, stepping out of the shadows.

"You wanted me to be bait. I'm bait." April answered.

"That's not how bait talks." Donnie argued.

"How do you know how bait talks?" April asked in a snappy tone.

"I know bait doesn't talk back." Donnie snapped.

The rest of us got out of our hiding spots and gasped.

"Oh, no, you didn't." Mikey said, waving his finger and smiling. Then we returned to our hiding spots.

"Just act natural." Donnie said, returning to his hiding spot.

April sighed and said out loud, "Here I am, actin' natural. Just totally defenseless against any, I don't know, hideous mutant pigeon-guy who might happen upon me."

Within no time, the pigeon-man showed up. April noticed and screamed. Before the Mutant could touch April, Donnie stepped out of the shadows and shocked the pigeon to the ground with his own version of a taser-gun.

"Now!" Leo called, as the rest of us jumped out of our hiding spots and pinned the pigeon down.

The pigeon tapped its large hand in submission, "Okay, okay, uncle! Jeez Louise."

"And you said I wasn't good bait." April said, looking at Donnie.

"Okay, start talking, 'Pigeon-man'." Leo told the pigeon.

"I have a name." The pigeon told Leo.

"Yeah, we just don't care what it is." Raph answered.

The pigeon glared at Raph, "It's Pete."

"Why were you trying to hurt April, Pete?" Leo asked.

"I didn't wanna hurt her. I was just bringing her a message. From her father." The pigeon, Pete, answered.

Leo looked at me. I kneelt to the pigeon's eye-level and placed my hand over his forehead. The pigeon flinched, but calmed.

"He's telling the truth." I spoke up.

April gasped and looked at Leo, Raph, Mikey and I, "Let him up."

The boys and I got off Pete and he stood up.

"We were both guests of the Kraang. They poured some ooze on me and turned me into this." Pete told us, explaining a portion of his story.

"Oh, that must have been horrible. Being turned into a pigeon." April said in sympathy.

"Actually, I started out as a pigeon." Pete admitted.

I smiled, "I thought so."

Leo looked at me, "How?"

"April said he charged into a glass window. If he started as a human, he would've avoided it." I answered.

Donnie nodded, "Good point."

"Told you the bread crumbs would have worked." Mikey commented.

Excited, Pete grabbed Mikey and began shaking him, "You've got bread crumbs?"

April cleared her throat to get Pete's attention, "Um, my father?"

Pete returned to the task at hand, "Oh, right."

He dropped Mikey and Mikey yelped, "Ow!"

Pete gave April a cell phone and a video message of Kirby started playing, "Something terrible is about to happen. And I don't know what, but it's extremely important that you get out of this city as soon as you can. Save yourself. Remember, I love you."

April hugged the phone, "I love you too, Daddy."

Leo looked at Pete, "Do you have any idea what he's talking about?"

Pete shook his head, "I'm just the messenger."

"We have got to get you out of the city." Donnie told April.

"I'm not going anywhere without my Dad." April argued.

"But you heard him, something terrible is gonna happen." Donnie pointed out.

"Then we'd better hurry." April answered.

Donnie thought for a second, then nodded.

I looked at Pete, "Can you tell us where the Kraang are holding Mr. O'Neil?"

Pete nodded, "I can, but it's gonna cost you a lot of bread."

"We're talking about actual bread, right?" Leo asked.

Pete nodded again, "Yeah. Sourdough."

I smiled, "You betcha."

"Let's roll!" Mikey said, and threw a smoke bomb.

After a few minutes of following Pete, he lead us to the roof of a large building, that looked similar to a business building. And, as promised, I gave Pete two loaves of sourdough bread. I brought them from home.

I'm not a big fan of sourdough, so what was the point of keeping it.

Pete thanked me and flew off. Donnie took no time in removing the ventilation shaft covering.

"Piece of cake." Donnie smiled.

April smiled, ready for action, "Let's do this."

I put my hand over April's shoulder before she could move, "We need you to wait here, April."

April gave me a look, "Are you crazy? My Dad's in there."

"Along with who knows how many Kraang." I stated with a slightly worried tone.

"Ellie's right. This requires stealth and mobility. Leave it to the pros." Leo backed up.

"I can't just do nothing." April argued.

"You won't be doing nothing. We need you to lower this rope when we give you the signal." Leo answered, giving April a piece of rope.

Leo, Donnie and I entered the building with no trouble of being spotted. Mikey was being clumsy and landed with a thud. The Kraangdroid heard Mikey and aimed its weapon at Mikey. Luckily, Raph entered last and took down the Kraangdroid.

Using our ninja stealth, the Turtles and I quietly made our way to the main control room. We took down any Kraangdroid that we encountered, before they could react. We entered a room with a large terminal pillar and was streaming with strange computer data.

"Donnie, hack into the system and see if you can find out about the Kraang's plot. Raph and Ellie, you're with me. Mikey, stay with Donnie." Leo told us.

"Why do I always get stuck with Mikey?" Donnie asked.

"Hey." Mikey said, feeling offended.

I was about to speak, but Leo cut me off, "I don't want him. And I'm in charge."

"Hey!" Mikey repeated.

"Well, then make Raph take Mikey." Donnie told Leo.

"Over my dead body." Raph replied, folding his arms.

Mikey looked at his brothers in disappointment, "You know, I'm starting to think nobody wants to be with me. Fine, I'll just go off on my own."

Mikey got a smoke bomb out. I was about to stop him, "Mikey, dont-"

But, he slammed it down and disappeared. A door opened to reveal Mikey with smoke.

Mikey sheepishly smiled, "That's a closet."

"Have fun, you two." Raph said, as he, Leo and I left the room to look for Kirby.

Leo, Raph and I made our way down the corridors and looked through every prison cell, only to find them empty or scientists that we don't recognize. Until we found a cell, in the corner, and was with only one prisoner.

"Mr. O'Neil? Are you in here?" Leo called.

As luck had it, Kirby came to the window and saw us.

"You're one of the turtles who rescued my daughter. Is she okay?" Kirby recognized Leo, then asked.

"She's fine. She's right outside." Leo answered.

"You mean she's still in the city? That girl is stubborn." Kirby asked, then sighed.

"Yeah, we've noticed." Leo answered, opening the lock and started picking at it.

"Kinda takes after you, Kirby." I said with a small giggle.

Leo was taking a while on picking the lock.

"Since it's taking Leo forever to pick that lock." Raph started with a conversation.

"I'm working on it!" Leo argued.

"Need help?" I asked, looking over the lock's wires and buttons.

"I got it, Elle. Thanks." Leo answered with a small smile. I nodded and returned to my post.

"Maybe you can tell us what the heck's the deal with the Kraang." Raph finished.

"They're aliens from another dimension. When they came here, they brought the Mutagen with them." Kirby answered.

"Why? What's the point of turning people into monsters?" Leo asked.

I went deep into thought about the Kraang's actions. It was obvious that the Kraang didn't bring that much ooze, if they wanted to turn people into hybrid creatures.

"The Mutagen doesn't work the way they thought it would. Apparently the physical laws of their universe are different from ours." Kirby answered.

"So they're grabbing scientists to help them modify the ooze." Leo summarized quickly.

Raph faked a gasp, "Wow, you figured it out!" Then asked Leo, "How's that lock coming?"

"So what do they want the ooze to do?" Leo asked.

"I wish I knew." Kirby answered, shaking his head.

"I have a hunch, but I hope I'm wrong." I said out loud, while still in thought. I didn't notice the boys looking at me.

My train of thought was broken when Donnie and Mikey showed up, "Leo, Ellie, Raph, they've planted a Mutagen bomb downtown. They're gonna use it to disperse ooze over half the city!" Donnie reported, then saw Kirby, "Oh, hi, Mr. O'Neil. Your daughter's really nice."

Kirby raised an eyebrow in slight confusion.

"Okay, we have to disarm that bomb." Leo told us, then added in frustration, "If I could just get this stupid door open."

"Have you tried this?" Mikey asked, pressing a button on the wall.

"No!" The boys and I shouted as the alarm sounded. I face-palmed.

"And that's why no one wants to be with you!" Raph told Mikey, who sheepishly smiled.

"Got it." Leo told us, as he finally got the door open. Kraang showed up and began firing their weapons at us. "Let's move." Leo told us, as we guided Kirby to the exit.

The boys and I hid behind the creates. Of course, Mikey tripped and Raph gave him a smack in the head. Leo looked up and began making bird sounds.

Raph looked at Leo, "What are you doing?" Then shouted, "April, throw the rope!"

April looked through the shaft and saw her father, "Dad!"

Kirby looked up and saw his daughter, "April!"

Kraangdroids continued to fire their weapons at us. Raph kicked a barrel at the ones coming from in front of us, then attacked a Kraangdroid that came from behind. The droid dropped its weapon. Kirby went to grab the weapon.

"Mr. O'Neil, what are you doing?" Leo asked Kirby.

Kirby grabbed the weapon and began firing at the Kraangdroids.

"Save my daughter. Save the city." He told the boys and I. My blood ran cold.

"Daddy, no!" April shouted.

Kirby turned serious and shouted, "I said go!"

Leo tapped on Donnie and my shoulders, "Go, go!"

The Turtles and I made our way to the rope, while Kirby was taking down the Kraang, so we could escape.

"We can't leave him here." Donnie pointed out.

"We don't have a choice." Leo answered.

The boys and I climbed up the rope and made our way to exit. Unfortunately, Kirby wasn't lucky. The Kraang out-numbered him and caught him.

"No!" April cried. The Kraang took Kirby away and April hugged Donnie, on the brink of tears.

Donnie looked at April, dead in the eyes, "We'll get him back, April. I promise."

"We gotta go." Leo told us.

The Turtles and April dashed off the roof, but I stayed behind and looked back for a few seconds. I balled my hand into a tight fist in anger and determination. The Kraang will pay if they harmed Kirby. I'll make sure of it.

We returned April to the Lair, where she'd be safe, got a few bows and arrows and made our way to the Mutagen bomb. According to Donnie's co-ordinates, the bomb was on the roof of Wolf Hotel.

We arrived at the location and found the perimeter was surrounded by Kraangdroids. We made quick work of them with explosive arrows. Once everything was cleared, the boys and I dropped our bows and un-needed arrows and made our way to the bomb.

"Okay, Donnie, it's up to you." Leo told Donnie.

Donnie removed the hatch and he and I saw the inner workings. Only one word can sum up what we saw, "Uh-oh."

"'Uh-oh'? Donnie, you said you knew how to do this." Leo stated.

"I didn't count on a design this complex, Leo." Donnie argued.

"They're aliens from another dimension. What did you expect? A big round ball with a lit fuse that said bomb?" Leo reminded, then asked.

"No, but this-" Donnie was about to answer, but Raph cut him off.

"Boy, I sure hope this argument goes on for another 4 minutes and 15 seconds." Raph said and slapped Donnie in the head.

Donnie took a look at the mechanisms and began pondering. He reach out for the wires.

Out of instinct, Leo called, "Careful."

Donnie shot a glare at Leo and returned to the bomb.

This time, Raph acted out of instinct, "Watch out for those wires."

"You guys are not helping." Donnie snapped.

"What if we just push this button?" Mikey suggested, reaching to press a button on the timer.

Annoyed and on edge, I grabbed Mikey's finger, "Not another inch, Michelangelo." I said in a low tone.

"Don't you think you've pushed enough buttons tonight?" Raph asked Mikey.

Donnie continued to ponder on the mechanisms.

"Donnie, you're gonna have to speed this up." Leo said in a rushed tone.

"I cannot work with all this pressure!" Donnie shouted in a paniced tone.

Suddenly, a sound of clashing metal caught our attention.

"Um, that might be a problem." Leo said.

The boys and I looked at the sign and saw Bradford, Xever and Sam. The boys and I got our weapons ready.

I looked at Donnie, "Keep working on the bomb, Donnie. We'll take care of these guys."

Donnie nodded and returned to the bomb, as Leo, Raph, Mikey and I took care of Shredder's henchmen.

"You guys picked a really bad time for this." Leo said, as he threw Xever back.

"Oh, sorry for the inconvenience. When would you prefer to breathe your last breath?" Xever said, then asked.

"If that thing goes off, it'll wipe us all out." Leo told the henchmen.

"I'd rather perish with honor than live in shame." Bradford said, as he swung his sword at Raph, who narrowly dodged.

"Will you hurry up and defuse the bomb? We're dealing with a couple of nutjobs here." Raph called to Donnie.

Donnie looked at Raph and snapped, "Be quiet!"

The boys and I were handling our own against Bradford, Xever and Sam quite well, but they were getting quicker. They even switched opponents. However, Sam stayed on me. Bradford had Mikey grounded, but switched his aim to Leo when he tried to attack from behind.

"Sam, please remember. You're of the Hamato Clan. Not the Foot." I tried to reason, blocking Sammy's attack.

"Are you really that crazy? I know no-one of that clan." She told me, swinging her kamas.

"Yes, you do." I told her. I caught her weapons and looked her dead in the eyes, "Don't you remember your uncle, Hamato Yoshi? He's alive and in this city. Please, come back with me and I'll prove it."

I could feel Sam look into my eyes. I noticed a small change in her eyes, but it was only for half a second. Then she glared and charged at me with a fury of attacks. I began to block, dodge and counter her attacks.

"Down to two wires. Which do I cut? Black or green?" Donnie wondered out loud.

"Go for the green!" Mikey called, then got hit by Bradford.

"I agree with Mikey. Green wont be mean." I called, then Sam hit me in the stomach, "Oof!"

The bomb's sounds were getting louder, then Donnie muttered, "Eh, why not." Donnie cut the green and blue wire and the bomb went quiet. Donnie smiled, "Guys, guys, Mikey was right about something!"

Then, he joined us in our battle against Xever, Bradford and Sam. After a few blows, the boys and I were able to corner Sam and Shredder's henchmen at the front of the bomb, where the Mutagen was.

"You are worthy adversaries, but the fight is ours. Lay down your weapons." Leo told the trio.

"Never!" Xever answered.

"You don't have a choice. You've lost." Leo reminded them.

I noticed Bradford looking at the tank full of ooze, "If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me."

Bradford stabbed his sword into the glass and the ooze started slightly pouring out. I heard a large crack and that can only mean one thing.

"Leo, watch out!" I shouted, tackling Leo away from Bradford.

Bradford grabbed my arm, and Xever embraced Sam. The glass shattered and the ooze poured all over Xever, Bradford, Sam and me. The force behind the Mutagen caused us to fall off the bomb and onto to roof.

The last thing I heard was Leo crying out, "No! Ellie!" Until the effects of the Mutagen started to kick in.

The Mutagen burned through my skin and open wounds and I could feel it re-writing my DNA. The ooze even got into my eyes and mouth, which caused me to swallow some. The burning and painful sensations were too much. I let the darkness take hold as I fell unconscious.

* * *

 **Leonardo's POV.**

Once all the Mutagen was gone, Ellie, Xever, Bradford and Ellie's sister, Samantha, were nowhere to be seen. The only thing I could find of Ellie were her glasses, turtle choker, leg braces and green bandana. That means Ellie has to be close. But, she was splashed with the Mutagen. Who knows what she could've turned into.

Donnie took the glasses from my hand, "Ellie's glasses?"

"That must mean she got mutated." Mikey gasped.

"She couldn't have gotten far. We gotta find her." Raph told us. I nodded in agreement.

My brothers and I were about to begin the search, however, a deep, baritone voice stopped us dead in our tracks.

"Your skills are impressive." The voice said. My brothers and I looked up and saw, at the top of the bomb, was a tall man in metallic armor and a mask. The man jumped down, "But they will not save you."

As I stared at the man, I realized he fit the description of one man that I've heard stories about. Master Splinter's rival. The man that took Ellie's family.

"Oh, man. Do you think that's the Shredder?" Donnie asked.

"Well, it's definitely a Shredder." Raph answered.

Shredder stood up and looked at us, as we readied our weapons, "There is undoubtedly a fascinating story in how my old nemesis came to teach ninjutsu to four mutant turtles. Perhaps I will let one of you live long enough to tell it."

I shot a glare at the man, "You're gonna have to catch us first." Then I looked at Mikey, "Mikey."

"So long, suckah!" Mikey shouted with a smirk and a smoke bomb in hand. He threw it on the ground, however the bomb was an ordinary egg. "Oops. All right, that one's on me." Mikey said.

Shredder dashed toward us and Raph dashed toward him. Raph was able to hold his own against Shredder, until Shredder hit Raph in the stomach. The force caused Raph to fly into the hotel sign.

"Raph!" I called in worry.

Then Shredder turned his attacks at me. I tried my best to block and dodge, but Shredder was too fast. He was able to kick me down and kicked me few feet away from him.

I heard Donnie cry, "Leo!" Then he dashed at Shredder. He tried jabbing, but Shredder caught his weapon and punched him to the ground.

Mikey tried his kusarigama, but Shredder forced Mikey toward him and kicked off the edge of the roof. With Shredder's attention on Mikey, Donnie and I took this opportunity to land some blows on him. Which worked, until he turned his attacks on us. Donnie and I kept our distance, but we weren't doing well. Donnie's staff broke in half, as he tried to hit Shredder from behind. Shredder picked Donnie up and threw him on top of me.

Raph landed on top of Shredder, as he was about give Donnie and me the final blow, and gave him a furry of punches in the face. But, Shredder caught Raph and threw him to the ground.

Before Shredder could finish Raph, Mikey used kusarigami to suspend Shredder from the ground. Shredder sliced the hotel sign and it fell on Mikey.

Raph, Donnie and I hurried and helped Mikey out of the sign. With Mikey out and Shredder free, my brothers and I continued to fight. However, we were too injured and Shredder was too fast. Shredder beat us all to a pulp, until it was only me left standing.

Shredder picked me up by my throat and pinned me against the sign.

"Tell me where Splinter is and I promise your demise will be swift." Shredder told me, with a third claw reaching for my neck.

I said nothing, closed my eyes, and waited for him to deliver the blow. I opened my eyes, to see that I was on the ground, and Shredder was a few feet away from me and bound by... bolas?

"What is this?" Shredder asked, as his eyes followed a shadow that jumped in front of me.

The shadow was a humanoid lizard with glowing markings, holding a pair of familiar eskrima sticks, in crouching position. It stood up and took a familiar fighting stance.

Shredder broke out of the bolas, dashed toward the lizard and began throwing a fury of kicks and punches at the lizard. The lizard dodged and blocked most of his attacks with fluid motion. Some it countered. There's only one person, I know that moves like that.

When it turned, the sign's light gave me a good look at it. Deep green scales, with light green underbelly. Its eyes were a glowing cyan. They had black sclera and were glassed over. And glowing purple markings on its body. Kinda like...

Ellie's eyes.

The lizard was able to hold Shredder off quite well, but he got too fast and kicked it with enough force that it flew into the sign, got shocked and fell unconscious. I was able to catch the lizard, before it hit the ground. The moment my hands touched the soft and smooth scales of the lizard, I felt the spark in my heart again.

The lizard was Ellie.

She tackled me to keep me away from the Mutagen. That stupid, crazy, stubborn... selfless, kind, wonderful girl.

Shredder aimed to finish us off, but the sound of heavy breathing stopped Shredder and caused him to look behind him.

From a large puddle of Mutagen appeared a large snakehead fish-human Mutant, reaching its hand to Shredder.

"Help me." The fish said in a weak voice. I recognized its voice to be Xever's.

"What is this?" Shredder asked, fear evident in his voice.

A large, humanoid arctic fox moaned and tried to move. A large, big muscled, humanoid, akita dog followed the fox, moaning in pain.

"Xever? Asami? Bradford?" Shredder identified in confusion. My brothers and I took this opportunity to run and return to the Lair. Shredder found out we were gone and shouted, "No!"

* * *

 _ ***Later, back at the Lair.***_

My brother's and I returned to the Lair, sore and injured from our battle with the Shredder. Master Splinter and Ellie were right, we weren't ready to face the Shredder. We knew nothing about him.

I placed Ellie on the couch and walked into the dojo to tell Master Splinter what happened, while the others waited for Ellie to wake up. April kept a close eye on her newly mutated best friend. She was scared at first, but she was able to recognize Ellie through her special gift.

* * *

 **Eleanor's POV.**

Ugh... My head. Why do I feel like I've been ran over by a bull or something larger? Last thing I remembered was being washed over by a large wave of Mutagen.

I slightly moaned in pain and sat up.

"Hey, she's waking up." I heard Mikey's voice alert the others around me.

I sat up and rubbed my head in pain, "Ow. My head. Wha- What happened?" I asked. For some reason, my head felt scaly and bare.

"You gave us quite a scare, Ellie." Raph answered.

"But, we're glad you're okay." April said with a smile, putting my choker and bandana around my neck again.

I looked at saw that the Turtles were covered in bruises and cuts.

I smiled though, "I'm glad you guys are alright too." Then, I noticed that April and the boys were staring at me, "What?"

"Um... Did Mulan bite you or something?" April asked in a stutter.

I raised an eyebrow, then looked at my hands to see that I mutated into something. Something scaly and green. I had four fingers on each hand, like my uncle. I wiggled my toes and saw three toes, just like the boys. I noticed that I, too, was covered in bruises and cuts.

I touched my head and face. My hair and ears were traded for a muzzle. Hehe. It's only hair. Why would I care?

I felt something move behind me. I looked and saw a long, reptilian tail. Well, that narrows it down to what I look like.

Leo walked into the lounge with Master Splinter. "You were all very lucky." Splinter said.

"Well, I think we define that word differently, Sensei." Raph answered.

"Few have ever faced the Shredder and survived." Uncle Splinter noted to his students.

"He was just so fast." Mikey spoke up.

"It was like he was everywhere at once." Donnie included.

"You were right about us being overconfident, Sensei. There are some things we're just not ready for." Leo said to his teacher with a sulk.

Uncle Splinter shook his head, "Perhaps. But that no longer matters. It is clear now that the Shredder is a problem that will not go away." Then his tone turned serious. I knew what this meant, "So prepare yourselves, my sons. Because as of this moment..."

"We are at war."


	10. Panic in the Sewers

Panic in the Sewers (F.K.A: Mojo Rising).

 **Eleanor's POV.**

It's been a day since the Turtles and I tried to rescue Kirby, defused the Mutagen bomb, faced Shredder's henchmen, faced Shredder in-person, and I got mutated into an anthropomorphic lizard.

Unlike the others that got mutated, I wasn't angry. Why would I be? It felt normal to me. The deep green scales, the tail, even the muzzle makes me look a little cute.

My eyes and inside of my mouth haven't changed though. My eyes are still amber-brown. I still had that gap like Donnie. Same blue inside of my mouth. Same fangs. At least they blend with my mutation, instead of making me look like a freak.

But what's better, I don't need my glasses anymore. The Mutagen must've fixed my eyes. However, I still need braces for my legs. So Donnie fashioned a pair for me. He made them out of the leftover scraps of the Kraangdroid he used to create Metalhead, which increase the strength in my legs and mobility.

It felt like I was meant to look like this. Like Uncle Splinter, I still have my humanity.

Anywho, the Turtles were scouting the city for Shredder, or anyone that is a member of the Foot Clan. The strange thing was, the entire city was deserted, the streets were covered in fog and I was nowhere to be found. How am I able to know what's going on? Unless...

"Shredder could be anywhere. Stay frosty guys." Leo told his brothers.

"FYI: Frost can cumulate in less below freezing except during process called-" Donnie explained the precipitation of frost, however he started rambling.

Mikey sighed in annoyance, "Maybe he's got off-switch somewhere."

Raph hit Donnie at the back of the head and Donnie yelped, "Ow!"

Raph smiled, "Found it!" Mickey chuckled.

Suddenly, Shredder's voice spoke from nowhere, "And I've found four pathetic turtles with only seconds to live."

Mikey smiled, "Wouldn't wanna be them."

The other boys got their weapons ready, "We are them." Raph answered.

The boys braced themselves, looking around for any sign of the Shredder.

Upon the rooftops, I saw myself... just walking by, looking at the boys. Something felt off.

Mikey backed up a little, until his shell bumped into Shredder. Shredder grabbed Mikey and dragged him into the mist. Mikey was able to drop one of his nunchucks, before he disappeared.

Donnie noticed Mikey's nunchuck and saw Shredder in front of him.

"Mikey!" Donnie shouted, as he dashed toward Shredder and tried to attack him with his staff.

Shredder blocked, snapping the staff into pieces. The attack bounced back on Donnie. While Donnie was in mid-air, Shedder dashed behind him and kicked his shell. Donnie fell to the ground and didn't get back up.

"Raph, take him down!" Leo told Raph, as he dashed toward Shredder, to distact him.

Raph ran up the wall and dove toward over Shredder's head, sai pointing toward him. However, I appeared and attacked Raph in mid-air.

Why am I attacking my own cousins, my friends? No, this can't be right!

I continued to attack Raph in the stomach, until I was able to hit him with enough force, that he flew further into the alley and disappeared into the mist. Leo tried to reach for him, but he was already gone.

"No!" Leo cried. Then Shredder and I chuckled as the cool, midnight mist turned red and hazy.

Leo turned around and gasped. He put his arms in front of his face in an 'X' form, but he got hit with enough force to hit his back in the end of the alley. Leo prevented himself from hitting the ground and looked at Shredder and I with fear stricken on his face.

"There is no place you can run, no place you can hide, where I will not find you!" I said in an evil deadpan tone, as Shredder and I walked closer to Leo. Both our eyes glowing in a maniacal red.

"You think you are ready to face me?" Shredder asked, then he laughed and delivered the final blow to Leo, killing him.

"No!" I screamed, shooting upright from my bed, taking heavy breaths and cold sweat dripping from my forehead. Thank goodness it was just a dream. Or was it a vision?

I balled my hands into tight fists, "No... I'm not like him. I won't let it happen. Not again!"

Oh, I forgot to tell you guys. The boys offered me a place to stay. Since I can't go back home, after what happened at the Wolf Hotel. I mean, come on. A Mutant living out in the open? That's crazy! So, Master Splinter and Leo came to an agreement that I will stay in the Lair, with them. They did have two spare bedrooms they weren't using. Thinking it over, I agreed.

"Come on!" Raph's voice shouted, breaking my train of thought.

I hastily grabbed my bandana, turtle choker and ninja gear, which was a black and dark green wetsuit with sleeves half-way my upper arms, and leggings reaching my knees. What was left of my mother's dark green kimono top. Leather straps, belt, my new leg braces and sports tape similar to Donnie's, put them on and exit my room to catch the boys making their way to the toll gates.

"Where do you guys think you're going?" I asked, catching the boys' attention.

"Heading out for our evening patrol." Leo answered.

"There will be no patrol." Uncle Splinter spoke up from behind me.

"Sensei/ **伯父さん** (Oji-san/Uncle)?" Leo and I asked in unison.

"Last time you fought the Shredder, you barely escaped with your lives." Uncle Splinter said. I went deep into thought about that battle. I was unconscious. How did...

"But Sensei, next time, we'll be ready." Raph said with a confident smile.

I frowned at Raph. I know the Shredder very well. He's ruthless and has mastered ninjutsu way longer than the boys. He'll kill them.

Uncle Splinter's aura tensed. "Yes." He said, as he grabbed Raph's arm and twisted it behind him. "Because, you will stay down here until you are ready. No patrol, no games, no rest. There is only training." Splinter finished. He threw Raph toward his brothers, "Starting now!"

Okay, aside from the boys, I'm worried for Uncle Splinter. Did he have the same nightmare as I did? This can't be good.

* * *

 _ ***A few weeks later.***_

It's been a while since Uncle Splinter put the boys and myself on constant training. We've hardly had any sleep and the boys were looking tired and worse for wear. I was a little unfazed.

Why?

Miyamoto-Sensei and Shredder had me go through the same thing. But for a different reason than Uncle Splinter; to see how far my limitations can go. I was able to train for two months straight, before my body gave in.

Tell me that's not a record.

At this moment, Uncle Splinter had the boys and I excercising a shoulder-throw.

"More, Sensei?" Mikey asked.

"Yes, more!" Uncle Splinter answered.

Mikey and Donnie charged at Raph, Leo and I. Me, Leo and Raph grabbed them and threw them over their shoulders. Mikey and Donnie landed on their backs.

"There is no intention in your strikes." Uncle Splinter pointed out, the instructed sternly, "Do it again! We will practice all night if we have to."

Donnie got back on his feet and told Uncle Splinter, "We have been practicing all night."

We heard snoring and looked over. Mikey was still on his back, sleeping, "Pizza." He mumbled in his sleep.

"Wake him up!" Uncle Splinter told Raph.

Raph smiled and cracked his knuckles, "Gladly."

Raph picked Mikey up and threw him to the ground. Mikey woke with a startle and screamed, "Shredder's here!"

Leo placed his hand over Mikey's shoulder, and said in a calm tone, "Relax. You were just having a nightmare."

"Aren't we all?" Raph asked retorically, as Mikey stood up.

Donnie raised his hand to speak, "Sensei, can we rest for a sec?"

"Rest?" Uncle Splinter asked, thought in sarcasm, then answered, "The Shredder will not rest until you are all dead!"

I had enough Uncle Splinter's paranoid talk about the Shredder's actions and decided to speak for the boys.

" **伯父さん** , we've been training nonstop for weeks with hardly any sleep. They need a break." I told Uncle Splinter.

Raph looked at me with a raised eyebrow, "Oh. Like you don't, Eleanor?"

I nodded my head and glared, "That's right, Raphael. I don't."

Raph glared back at me, "Ah, well then, I'll give you a break."

Without warning, Master Splinter attacked all of us. I was able to dodge the attack, while the boys landed on their backs.

"If I were the Shredder, none of you would be breathing right now. Understand?" Uncle Splinter told us in a stern tone.

Mikey fell asleep and rested his head on Leo's shoulder.

Uncle Splinter thought for a second, then reconsidered, "Perhaps a brief rest is in order. We will resume later."

Uncle Splinter walked into his room and the boys fell asleep. As I watched Uncle Splinter walk off, I noticed something in him and his voice tone. Despite being stern and hard on his sons and myself, there was an obvious reason behind this behavior.

He was afraid for us.

I don't blame him for reacting this way. He lost one family, as I have. With Shredder's forces lurking the streets, trying to hunt us down, Uncle Splinter can't afford to lose another one. Nor can I. While the boys were sleeping, I took it upon myself to talk to my uncle.

I knocked on the door and heard nothing. " **伯父さん**? It's Eleanor. I would like to talk to you. Mind if I come in?" I said, then asked.

Again, I heard nothing. I opened the door and saw Uncle Splinter, sitting on his bedmat and looking at the portrait of his family.

" **伯父さん**?" I gently called.

Splinter's ears perked up, indicating that he heard me.

I entered the room and sat in front of him. " **伯父さん** , I think you should go easy on the boys. I know Shredder is too strong for them, but you reacting on your own fear is only gonna make things worse. Your boys are exhausted and sore. If they face him now, they WILL be dead." I told my scared uncle.

Uncle Splinter lifted his head slightly. My words are reaching him.

"But, I do agree with one thing that you said earlier. Staying down here until we are ready to face Shredder is a good idea. There's no telling where he is up there, and if he showed up... Please, be a father and protect them the way you used to." I finished.

Uncle Splinter looked at me and nodded, "You speak with wisdom beyond your years, Eleanor. Stay true to that."

I nodded, and began to leave Uncle Splinter to his thinking. As soon as I reached the door, Splinter spoke up again, "Did your mother ever tell you that?"

I nodded my head, "It was the last thing she said to me."

* * *

 _ ***Later...***_

My words of wisdom have reached Uncle Splinter. He gave the boys the rest of the day free from training. Leo and I were sparing with our weapons, Mikey was in the kitchen, Raph was in the lounge with Leo and I, reading his comic book, and Donnie was in his lab, working on his new form of transport.

Leo and I stopped sparing when Space Heroes was switched on. Today's episode was on Captain Ryan's crew fighting a group of 20 feet tall, red and black robots. The center robot shot a ray and it hit Captain Ryan.

"The Panicons hit me with an anxiety ray!" Captain Ryan exclaimed, then the ray took its toll and Captain Ryan paniced, "We're all gonna die! And I think I left the food replicator on! The ship might burn down!"

Then, a calm member, Grundch, told Captain Ryan, "Get it together, Captain! You're our leader, so act like one!"

Captain Ryan calmed himself by slapping himself in the face.

"I'm sorry, Grundch. That was the anxiety ray talking." Captain Ryan apologised and explained, then an idea hit him, "I've got it. I'll use the thermal charge."

Captain Ryan threw, what looked like, a small, blue and grey thermos at the robots and the thermos exploded, taking the robots down. Before the episode can continue, the TV was switched off by a shuriken star.

"What? Hey, what are you doing?" Leo asked, looking at Raph.

"Oh, sorry. It was Spike's idea. He said Space Heroes is too stupid for him." Raph apologised, and explained with a sarcastic tone. Spike appeared on his shoulder.

"That's saying something, considering he hangs out with you all day." Leo said, sheathing his katanas, whilst I sheathed my eskrima sticks.

That struck a nerve with Raph, "Nice going, Leo." Raph said, as Spike walked off his shoulder and started eating the leaf on a plate. "You made him angry. So I'm gonna mop the floor with your face!" Raph shouted, getting off the couch and pointing angrily at Leo.

I pushed Raph's hand away from Leo, "All right, Raph. Cool off."

"I can help with that!" Mikey's voice spoke up from the other side.

Leo, Raph and I looked and saw a water balloon coming toward us. It hit Raph and soaked his face.

"Doctor Prank-enstein strikes again!" Mikey said with a huge smile and four water balloons in his hands.

Raph growled angrily at Mikey. "Dude, you should see your face right now. You look so mad!" Mikey teased with a smile.

"Okay, Spike. You'll like this show. It's called, 'Does Mikey Bend That Way?'" Raph said to his pet turtle, cracking his knuckles. Mikey dashed off. "Come here, you!" Raph shouted chasing him. Then, Raph caught Mikey and began beating him up.

Leo watched, as I shook my head. Once everything calmed down, Leo, Raph, Mikey and I decided to see what Donnie was up to. Leo, Raph, Mikey, and I entered Donnie's lab and saw Donnie with a welding mask on and using a blow-torch on a five-seated go-cart.

"You're still working on that go-kart?" Raph asked Donnie.

Donnie deactivated the blow-torch and lifted his welding mask, "It's not a go-kart. It's an all-terrain patrol buggy with detachable sidecars."

He showed the blueprints of the patrol buggy. Leo and I looked through them. Very impressive design and features.

"Dude, hasn't Splinter been riding us hard enough? You gotta find a way to relax." Mikey asked, then suggested to Donnie.

"We all deal with stress in different ways, Mikey." Leo explained.

"Yeah, and this is how I deal." Donnie included.

Mikey smirked, "And this is how I deal." He threw another water balloon.

Leo and I ducked, and the balloon hit Donnie square in the face. Mikey laughed, and Donnie lost his temper. Donnie threw his welding mask on the ground and began chasing Mikey.

"You and Elle are next, Leo! Doctor Prank-enstein makes house calls!" Mikey called, as he ran.

Once everything calmed down with Donnie and Mikey. Leo suggested that we resumed training. The boys and I walked into the dojo and waited for Leo's instructions.

" **抱圍の構え** (Hoko no Kamae/Embrace Posture)." Leo said, with his arms in the air, like an attacking bear. Donnie, Mikey and I mimiced Leo, but Raph just folded his arms. Leo looked at him, "Raph, **抱圍の構え**!"

"Hoko no way. It's bad enough Splinter's driving us into the ground. Now you too?" Raph shouted, then asked.

"We have to keep training. Because, right now, we don't stand a chance against Shredder." Leo pointed out.

"Yeah, and he's up there..." Mikey added, then continued with a creepy tone, "Somewhere... Waiting for us!" Then he started shaking in fear, "I just freaked myself out!"

"I hate to say it, but the fact that we've been laying low might be the only reason we're still alive." Donnie admitted.

"Exactly. So until we're ready, we stay down here." Leo pointed out.

"Unfortunately, that's not an option." April spoke up from the entrance. The boys and I looked and saw April waving her phone.

Mikey went off to fetch Master Splinter. He really needed to hear this. April explained, that she gave the Purple Dragons a pizza with a spy-radio. We grouped up in the lounge and listened to the radio with the Purple Dragons.

"We're meeting Shredder tonight. He's got a plan to destroy the Turtles and that traitor, Eleanor." Fong said.

"How? He doesn't even know where they are." Sid asked and pointed out.

"He says they're in the sewers somewhere, and that's all he needs to know to wipe them out." Fong answered. With that, the signal went quiet.

"Our home is no longer safe. The Shredder must be stopped." Splinter told us.

"How can we stop a plan we don't even know?" Leo asked.

With a bored and annoyed expression, I popped Mikey's water balloon, that was meant for Leo, with my tanto.

"We have to go topside, and find out what they're planning." Raph said.

"Raph's right. There's no other way." Leo agreed.

The boys and I got our ninja gear ready and we made our way to the city. Following the co-ordinates of the meeting place of the Purple Dragons and Shredder, we arrived at a cathedral. The boys and I hid in an alley just across the street from the cathedral.

"This is the place." Leo said, pointing to the building.

The other boys and I kept behind Leo.

Raph looked behind him and saw that Donnie was too close, "Donnie, you're crowding me."

"Sorry." Donnie said, as he backed up a little.

However, he bumped into a trashcan and the noise startled Mikey. Mikey jumped and kicked Raph in the chin.

"Sorry. All that Splinter talk, about how we're not ready, has me thinking. Maybe we're in over our heads." Mikey apologised and explained.

Raph hit Mikey on top of his head, "You're always in over your head."

Mikey rubbed his head and shouted, "I'm saying now we all are!" Then whimpered, "And that scares me."

Leo placed his hand over Mikey's shoulder, "It's okay to be scared, Mikey."

I reassured with a smile, "Leo's right. Raph is scared, too."

"I am not scared." Raph argued, pushing in front of me, so I had to stand next to him.

To prove my point, I snuck behind Raph and gently blew at the back of his neck. Raph jumped, yelled with a startle, and looked behind him to see me. He faked a cough and regained his composure. Leo and I chuckled at Raph. However, the sound of heavy thuds caused the Turtles and I to freeze in fear.

From the corner, appeared a large, anthropomorphic Akita Dog. It was 8 foot tall, had red eyes with black sclera ( **A/N: Like Gambit from X-Men** ), and wore a familiar pair of shinobi pants with loincloth. Its left arm was larger than its right, and had jagged spikes producing from the back, shoulder, forearm and knuckle area. Its right hand was encrusted with the same material as the spikes. It looked like a type of calcium.

"You should be." The dog said in a gruff, but recognizable voice.

"Bradford/Rad-Brad!" Mikey, Leo and I recognised in unison.

Bradford smirked, "Look what I found, four soon-to-be-ex-turtles, and the traitor."

"I'm sure glad it's okay to be scared." Mikey said in a shaky voice.

"You and me both." Donnie replied in the same tone.

Leo drew out his katanas and said to his brothers, "This is no time to panic." Then, he changed his mind when he realized how large Bradford was, "Okay, maybe a little."

Bradford kept advancing toward us and it looked like he was getting taller by each step.

"He keeps getting taller!" Mikey said.

"Then I'll cut him down to size." Leo replied.

He dashed toward Bradford, and tried to attack him, but Bradford blocked his attacks and threw him away. Leo, luckily, landed on his feet.

"Uh, let's stick together on this one." Leo said.

Trying to fight as a unit, the boys and I tried to attack Bradford, but his new form made it quite difficult to land a hit on him. Donnie was able to jab him under the chin, but that was as close as he could get. I tried to use my agility to confuse Bradford, but he grabbed my tail and threw me into Mikey and Donnie.

"This is hopeless." Donnie said.

"Keep your head in the game." Leo told him.

Bradford slammed his large hand into the ground, but the boys and I dodged.

"I just want to keep my head on my body." Donnie told Leo.

"Come on. What are we retreating for?" Raph asked.

He dashed at Bradford and tried to attack, but Bradford threw him into the nearest dumpster.

Raph popped out of the dumpster, "That's a good reason."

Leo looked at Mikey, "Mikey, smoke!"

Mikey smirked mischievously. He got out a green water balloon and quickly threw it at my face. The water soaked my face and Mickey chuckled in humor.

I shouted at Mikey, "Mikey! Now is not the time for pranks!"

"Oh, right." Mikey got his smoke bomb, but his grip slipped and the egg fell on to the ground, with little smoke.

"What was that?" Raph asked.

"I'm stressed! Excuse me if my aim's a little off!" Mikey shouted, in a paniced tone.

Bradford continued to attack. Donnie, Leo and I tried to keep him busy and away.

"How hard is it to hit the ground?" Raph asked, as he threw his smoke bomb. However, his got caught in a grate. Raph tried to get it, but it fell into the sewers.

"Not so easy, is it?" Mikey asked as a retorical question.

Okay, I've had it. "Oh, for the love of-" I got my smoke bomb and threw it at the ground. The egg created a large smokescreen and the boys and I were gone.

* * *

 _ ***Later, back in the Lair.***_

The boys and I returned to the Lair, but we were ashamed of how the battle went. Bradford was too strong for us to handle. Uncle Splinter entered the lounge and looked at us.

"We couldn't take him." Leo answered.

"Dogpound was just too powerful." Mikey said, giving Bradford a new nickname. It was better than 'Rad-Brad'.

"'Dogpound'?" Leo asked.

"What? 'Cause he's a dog, and he pounded us into the-" Mikey asked, then explained, but I cut him off.

"We get it." I told him.

"I don't see how we're gonna get close to that meeting now." Leo said with a sulk.

"What do we do now?" I asked in wonder.

"Well, maybe we just need to find a new place to hide." Donnie replied, showing up a postcard of Miami, "I hear the sewers in Florida are nice this time of year."

April closed Donnie's laptop, "No. I'm not letting you guys give up." She stood up and looked at us, "I'll spy on the meeting."

"No way!" Raph shouted.

"Nuh-uh." Mikey protested.

"Not a chance!" I replied.

"You can't." Donnie argued.

"Forget it." Leo disagreed.

"Absolutely not!" Uncle Splinter sternly told April.

"I can do this." April defended, she looked at Uncle Splinter, "You've been training me to be a Kunoichi."

"For a few weeks." He pointed out.

"What choice do we have? Shredder's gonna attack your home, and we need to find out how, and I'm the only one who can do it." April summarized then pointed out.

The boys and I looked at each other. I have to admit it, she is the only one of us that's still human. But, it's too dangerous for her to go alone. Even Splinter thought it was a bad idea. But, April is stubborn, so we can't change her mind. There was no other choice.

* * *

 _ ***Later that night, at the Cathedral.***_

The boys and I followed April to the Cathedral, via the rooftops, and watch her try to get a pizza spy-radio into the building.

"I don't like this." Donnie said.

"Me neither. Giving the enemy a free pizza? Pssh, never a good idea." Mikey replied.

April knocked on the door and a Foot Ninja answered the door. After a few seconds, the ninja slammed the door on April. April ran into the alley and got her phone out. Leo did the same.

"Looks like the Foot Clan are smarter than the Purple Dragons." April reported.

"They have to be. Shredder never appreciated slackers or idiots." I explained.

"Thanks, April. You did your best." Leo replied to April.

Suddenly, the Cathedral's bell rang, indicating the meeting was about to start.

"At least we've still got the pizza." Mikey smiled.

April chuckled, "Oh, I'm not done yet."

Donnie noticed and asked, "Wait, what is she doing?"

April threw the pizza into the dumpster, removed her hood and walked over to the door of the condo next to the Cathedral.

"Not the pizza!" Mikey cried, then shook his head, "She's gone rogue."

April knocked on the door and Zhao opened the door. She spoke to him then walked into the building.

Donnie smiled, "She's so cool."

April exit the building using the fire escape and made her way to the roof of the cathedral. Of course, her jump was a little short, but she made it over. She entered the meeting room through the broken glass window. She must've put her phone on speaker, because the boys, I started hearing Shredder's voice on the phone.

"Listen carefully. Six of you will hijack a tanker truck on Houston in approximately 15 minutes. The chemical is extremely rare, so you will not have another chance." Shredder began explaining his plan.

"Chemical? What chemical?" Raph asked.

"How about we listen and find out?" Donnie suggested, glaring at Raph.

"How about I break your shell on my knee?" Raph argued, glaring back at Donnie

"How about you two shut it for a minute, while we try to hear Shredder's evil plan!" Leo told his brothers.

However, we only were able to hear the last of Shredder's plan, "Which will destroy them once and for all. Now go."

"We missed it!" Leo exclaimed, then sighed in annoyance, "Oh, great. Nice going, guys."

"We've gotta get April out!" Donnie said, ready to jump off the roof.

Leo stopped him, by placing a hand over his shoulder, "No, if we rush in there, we put her at risk. We wait."

After a few seconds of waiting, Bradford, Fong, three Foot Ninjas, and an anthropomorphic arctic fox left the building and started walking toward the black van, parked outside.

The fox wore a magenta scarf, a black tank top, a pair of hakama pants, bandages around arms, arm gauntlets and bandages around feet. There's only one person I know that wears that colored scarf.

One person was missing from the group. Where was Xever?

"I'm gonna hitch a ride, see where they go." April told us.

"No, you've done enough. Now get out of there!" Leo told April.

However, I noticed Bradford's ear twitching and he turned to look at the corner.

"Bradford heard you! April! Run!" I told April, but it was too late.

Bradford found April and knocked her out. He put her in the black van. The boys and I made our way to the street, but we were too late. The van and Bradford sped off to the corner of the street.

"No! We're too late!" Donnie exclaimed.

Leo tried to reach April over her cell phone, "April. April! Are you there?"

"She's not gonna answer, Leo." Donnie told Leo.

"What do we do?" Leo asked, then started rambling as panic and worry took hold of him, "We gotta get April out of that van. But- but Dogpound's in there, and we're not ready to fight that guy. Aw, Splinter was right! We should've stayed below."

I took a deep breath and made my voice gruff and raspy, "Get it together, Captain. You're our leader! So act like one." I told Leo.

Like that, the panic and worry was gone. Leo looked at me and smiled, "You're right, Elle. That was the anxiety ray talking."

I smiled back at him. There's the Leo I know.

"What, that's it? You're not gonna slap yourself?" Raph asked with a smile.

Leo scoffed and smiled, "Let's save April."

"And our home." Raph included.

"But we'll never catch him on foot." Donnie pointed out.

I smiled, "We're not going on foot."

I touched the screen of my cell phone. Within a few seconds, Donnie's patrol buggy showed up.

I scratched the back of my head, "I hope you don't mind, Donnie. The tracking app also acts as a homing signal."

Donnie smiled at me, but then it turned to worry. The boys and I got our helmets on, strapped ourselves to a seat and sped after Bradford.

"Yeah, this is rad!" Mikey shouted in excitement.

"It's not ready!" Donnie yelled.

We turned a corner and continued down the street.

I smiled and shouted in excitement, "This is so metal!"

"Does it have a radio?" Mikey asked.

"No, it doesn't have a radio!" Donnie answered, then told Leo, "I'm telling you it's not ready!"

Leo changed gear and smiled, "Seems ready to me." He pulled on the steering wheel, and it came off, "Whoa!" He put the wheel back and smiled sheepishly, "Eh, okay, don't pull on that, and we'll be fine."

The boys and I made our way down the street and a few corners, until we were right in front of Bradford and the tanker. The tanker drove straight toward us without any hesitations.

"Raph, get ready." Leo told Raph.

"For what?" Raph asked.

"This!" Leo answered, as he activated a trigger.

With a couple of metallic noises, my cart was separated from the back and the cart split in half. The tanker drove right past us. Raph, Leo and I turned 180 and sped after Bradford and the tanker.

"Leo! You could've been a little more specific." Raph shouted at Leo.

"Where's the fun in that?" Leo asked jokingly.

We were closing in on the tanker.

"Get ready." Leo told everyone.

Donnie got a good look at the label of the tanker, "Chlorosulfonic acid?"

A dark and dangerous thought went into my mind. Shredder is a maniac to think this, "Oh no." I quietly grimaced, then I shouted over to Leo, "Leo, I think I figured out Shredder's plan! That acid is highly explosive, when exposed to water!"

"So if he dumps it in the sewer..." Leo began to summarize.

Donnie nodded, "It'll all be incinerated in seconds, including the Lair!"

Leo gasped, "And Splinter!" Then went serious, "We gotta stop them."

As we drove closer to the van and the tanker, the black van turned a corner and the tanker kept driving straight.

"Donnie! You and Raph stay with the van and save April. Mikey, Ellie, you're coming with me. We have to stop that tanker!" Leo instructed his brothers and I on a new plan.

"You got it, Leo." I replied with a thumbs up.

"Uh, if you haven't noticed, I'm stuck with Raph." Mikey pointed out.

Raph smirked, "No problem."

Raph activated his trigger and Mikey's kart was released. Mikey screamed and shouted as he fell behind.

"Well, that was fun!" Raph smiled in humor.

Leo smiled, "Told ya!"

Donnie activated his trigger and his kart was released. Donnie and Raph turned the corner, while Leo, Mikey and I stayed on the tanker.

"Mikey, Ellie, let's slow this thing down. Fire grappling hooks!" Leo told us.

"Got it!" Mikey and I said, as we fired our grappling hooks at the bumper of the truck. We slowed down, but the ropes snapped.

"Donnie did say they weren't ready!" Mikey reminded Leo.

"I know!" Leo answered with a sigh.

The tanker reached the part of the street where a manhole covering can be found. Bradford jumped off the tanker, picked up the manhole covering and threw it toward us. The covering flew toward Leo. Leo dropped his helmet and jumped off the kart.

"Is that all you got?" Leo asked, sheathing his katanas.

Sam jumped off the tanker and joined Bradford, with her kamas drawn and ready for a fight.

"I'd say that's a 'no'." Mikey said.

Mikey and I dropped our helmets, drew our weapons and joined the fight.

Sam, Bradford, Mikey, Leo and I dashed at each other and got locked into combat. Bradford was making short work on Mikey, Leo and I. Sam was using her newly enhanced agility to her advantage. Bradford threw us into a construction site. Thinking quickly, Leo threw a smoke bomb to distract Bradford and Sam.

We reappeared on top of the site. We heard a sound of a truck unloading, looked over and saw the Foot Ninja bringing a large hose into the manhole. Bradford climbed his way up and continued attacking us. Sam followed suit.

"Don't let him dump that acid!" Leo told Mikey.

Mikey nodded, made his way to the Foot Ninja and hit him before he could turn the valve. Bradford and Sam noticed this and turned their attention to Mikey. Leo and I couldn't let it happen.

"Hey, Bradford! Samantha! Pick on someone your own size!" I shouted at the canine duo.

This time I wasn't gonna hold back, even if it is my own blood. Leo dashed at Bradford, keeping him distracted, and I threw shuriken stars at Sam. Bradford tried attacking Leo with a car, but Leo was too fast.

Sam dodged the stars and glared at me. She was angry. Sam dashed at me. I stood my ground and took the stance of **抱圍の構え**. When Sam got close enough, I rolled over her back and gave her a leg-sweep. Sam landed hard on her back, and she was groaning in pain.

By surprise, Bradford grabbed me by the tail and threw me into Mikey and Leo. Bradford tried to pound us with his large hand, but Leo, Mikey and I dodged. Leo tried to attack Bradford, but Bradford caught him and stabbed his katana into the tank. The tank started leaking yellow liquid. Leo released his katana and the leak became a spill.

Bradford picked Sam over his shoulder, smirked and started to walk away. I thought for a second, and an idea hit me. I'm really gonna hate this.

I looked at the young turtle, "Mikey, throw the water balloon!"

"Uh, what water balloon?" Mikey asked, looking away from me, playing dumb.

"The one you were gonna hit Leo with." I told him.

Mikey looked behind him and there was a water balloon in his hand. He smiled, "Dude, you are good."

Mikey threw the water balloon at the leak. The acid began to react.

"Hit the deck!" I shouted, grabbing Leo and Mikey's hands and dashed for cover.

The tanker made a massive explosion and I covered my ears and eyes, as the back of my head felt really warm. This indicated fire. I felt my blood run cold and my brain freezing up.

"Nice shot, Mi-" Leo was about to praise, but Mikey hit him with another water balloon.

"Doctor Prank-enstein for the win!" Mikey cheered.

"You had two? Where do you keep them?" Leo asked out of astonishment.

Donnie and Raph showed, only to see the flames engulfing the truck. "Eh, looks like we missed the fireworks." Raph joked.

Leo looked at Donnie and smiled, "Donnie, the go-kart worked great. Nice job."

Donnie smiled, "Thanks, Leo." Then, his smile fell, "And it's a patrol buggy."

I felt a hand tap my shoulder, as Raph's voice spoke, "Ellie, you can get up now."

I stood up and shielded my eyes, by covering my face. "Just keep my eyes away from the flames." I said, my voice cracking in fear.

I felt Donnie put his hands over my shoulders, guiding me through the street. I could tell. "You're _pyrophobic_?" He asked.

"Long story." I answered.

* * *

 ***Later, back at the Lair.***

The boys and I made it back to the Lair, and Mikey brought a box of pizza to celebrate.

"Nothing says victory, like the sweet taste of pizza." Mikey said, as we all took a slice.

I took a bite of the pizza. It tasted strange. I sniffed and the pizza smelled like it was sitting in a dumpster for a few hours. "This pizza smells kind of funky." I commented.

"Ellie's right. Where'd you get it, Mikey?" Donnie agreed, then asked Mikey.

"It's the one April threw out." Mikey answered.

The boys and I spat out the pizza in our mouths and started gagging. What was Mikey thinking?

"What? We live in a sewer. Now you're clean freaks?" Mikey asked out of surprise, then shrugged, "More for me."

Uncle Splinter walked in and spoke up, "My sons. Eleanor. I owe you my gratitude and an apology."

Leo looked at his mentor, surprised, "An apology?"

I looked at Master Splinter in worry, " **伯父さん**?"

"Fear clouded your minds. However, it was not the Shredder who fueled that fear, but me. You overcame that fear, and performed admirably." Uncle Splinter explained, then he smiled, "No training today."

The boys and I cheered, as Master Splinter turned his back.

Then Uncle Splinter spoke up again, "Unless Michelangelo throws that balloon."

The boys and I turned to see Mikey ready to throw a water balloon at Uncle Splinter.

The boys got annoyed and angry. Raph voiced all the boys' thoughts, "You are so gonna get it!"

And the boys dog-piled on Mikey. I folded my arms and smiled.

I'm glad I chose the right path to follow.


	11. Mousers Attack

Mousers Attack! (F.K.A: Mouserthon).

 **Eleanor's POV.**

Good morning viewers. You caught the Turtles and myself at a good time. We were just finishing our weekly training session. The boys and I were working on our slow and steady approaches. However, Raph was taking it bit too quickly and was messing up his form.

"What? Are you fighting a guy in slow motion?" Raph asked, two steps ahead of us.

"I suppose I could do it faster, if I ignored my form, like you." Leo answered, in a sarcastic tone.

Raph glared at Leo and shouted, "Ignore this form!"

Then, the oldest brothers started fighting. Donnie, Mikey and I stepped back, away from the fight. Not having any of it, Master Splinter walked over to the fighting brothers and pinched the side of their necks, paralysing them into submission.

"Competition is an excellent motivator. But not when it turns you against each other." Sensei told the boys, then instructed, "So now, you will spar two-on-three."

"Okay, I'll take Don-" Leo started with a smile, but he was cut off by his mentor.

"You will take Raphael." Splinter told Leo. Leo and Raph looked at each other. "You two must focus on working together, not competing with each other." Splinter explained.

"Okay, so me and Raph against Mikey, Ellie and Donnie?" Leo asked, then chuckled, "Uh, isn't that a little unfair?"

"Wait, what are you trying to say?" Donnie asked, feeling offended. I couldn't help but feel offended as well.

"Um, how can I put this gently?" Raph wondered, then pointed out, "We're way better than you guys. And, Ellie's a girl."

"Hey!" I shouted, feeling really hurt by Raph's comment. Sure I'm a girl, but that doesn't make me weak.

Mikey scoffed, not getting what Raph meant, "At fighting, maybe."

Leo and Raph chuckled, "Uh, that's what I meant." Raph answered.

"Oh? Fine." Mikey said, finally feeling hurt.

The boys and I took our fighting stances. Leo was with Raph, smiling, and Mikey and Donnie were with me.

" **始め** (Hajime/Start)!" Splinter-Sensei instructed.

Raph and Leo dashed at us and were able to beat Mikey and Donnie down with ease. I was proven to be a challenge. But, with a little bit of teamwork, they were able to knock me on to my back.

" **止め** (Yame/Stop)!" Splinter-Sensei instructed.

"You were right, Sensei. Working together is fun." Raph said with a smile in his voice.

I smirked and cleared my throat. The boys looked at me and noticed I didn't fall to the ground, I was leaning against my tail, which made me look like I fell. I kicked myself up and tripped the boys over with my tail. I pinned them down and pointed my katanas at the boys, with the blades near their throats. Raph gulped.

"Looks like the 'better fighters' got out-matched by a girl." I joked with a smirk.

"Okay, Ellie. I see your point." Raph said.

I withdrew my blades and helped the boys back to their feet. It took a short while for Donnie and Mikey to recover. Now that the training session was over, it was time for the boys and I to kick back, relax and enjoy some pizza.

* * *

 _ ***Meanwhile, at the Cathedral...***_

 **Samantha's POV.**

It's been a very quiet day. Still no sign of action from the Turtles or that lizard girl. Father just requested Bradford to convince the Purple Dragons to raise our cut. He's been gone for about 15 minutes. Bradford returned with a small smile on his face.

"The Purple Dragon gang agreed to raise our cut to 80%." Bradford informed us, then smiled, "No complaints."

"It seems your mutated form has its advantages." Father praised, then got all serious again, "But do not forget our primary goal: Locating Splinter, the traitor, and the Turtles."

Bradford nodded in understanding. Xever swam toward Bradford. Unfortunately, he was stuck in the water, behind a thick layer of glass.

"If I weren't stuck in here, I would have caught Splinter by now." Xever growled in impatience and determined to prove his worth.

Bradford smirked evilly, "But you are stuck in there."

Then, he began to tap the glass. This irritated Xever to the point it hurt his ears. Must be why fish don't like their tank being tapped. It hurts their ears.

"No, no, no, no! Stop that! Stop that! Ow! Ow! Stop it! Aah! Stop it!" Xever screamed and shouted in pain, trying to swim away from the noise.

I had enough of Bradford misteating the man that tried to protect me from that strange ooze that turned me into a fox. I stood up, and walked toward him.

"Bradford, leave him alone!" I told the mean dog, pushing him away from the glass.

The tapping stopped and Xever calmed down and smiled at me. Bradford chuckled, "I'm sure you'll have your chance to shine one of these days. Master Shredder might get hungry for sushi."

Angry and annoyed, Xever swam up to the glass and growled, "Why don't you get in the water and say that?"

"Enough, Xever!" Father spoke up, "Bradford is right. You are useless to me this way." He told Xever. Xever calmed down and swam away. Father looked at Bradford, who smiled, "I'm counting on you. Find me information I can use, or Xever won't be the only one missing his legs."

With that said, Bradford left the room. I decided to follow him. Hey, I need to stretch my legs and sharpen my ninjutsu skills. Don't judge me!

* * *

 _ ***Back at the Lair...***_

 **Eleanor's POV.**

Donnie, Raph and Mikey were sitting on the couch. Raph was reading one of his comics. Whilst Leo and I just walked in, from the kitchen, with a plate of pizza each. Donnie and Mikey are still feeling hurt for being called weaker than Leo and Raph.

"Look, guys. Raph, Ellie and I may be better fighters, but you're still an important part of this team." Leo assured his youngest brothers, as he and I came in and sat down.

"As important as you three?" Donnie asked.

"Uh, very important. We shouldn't compare ourselves. It- It's like apples and oranges." Leo answered with a small smile. Then Space Heroes showed up on the screen.

"Yeah, if apples were way better, which they are." Raph added, muttering behind his comic.

"So the truth comes out." Donnie accused.

"You guys think of us as some kind of... 'B-team'." Mikey added.

Raph chuckled, "Good one, Dr. Name-enstein. We'll call you, 'The B-team'."

"Thanks." Mikey smiled, until he corrected himself, "I mean, hey!"

"There's no shame in it." I assured the two boys with a genuine smile.

"Look, they've got a B-team too." Leo pointed out, as the screen showed Captain Ryan with two other crew members. One was human in an orange shirt. And a green alien with antennea and wearing a purple shirt.

"We'll need backup. You two in the shirts you're coming with us." Captain Ryan said. The two crew members saluted in agreement.

Captain Ryan, Mr. Crenshaw and the other two members teleported to the planet. Once they appeared, Captain Ryan and Mr. Crenshaw jumped out of the way, as two lasers fired at the crew members and killed them.

"Rodriguez and... that other guy... They're gone!" Mr. Crenshaw shouted in dismay.

"Well, that's why we bring them along." Captain Ryan said in a matter-of-fact tone.

I folded my arms at the TV, "I never really liked that episode."

"Thanks a lot." Donnie said in an angry tone.

"The point is, they had an important function." Leo pointed out in the same tone as Captain Ryan, and taking a bite of his pizza.

The silence was broken when April came in through the toll gates. She was hugging herself and had a sad look on her face.

"April, what's wrong?" Donnie asked.

"Are you okay?" I asked, concerned for my friend.

"I just got mugged by some Purple Dragons. They stole my phone." April answered.

"Don't worry. We'll kick their butts for you." Leo told April with determination in his eyes.

"Yeah, we'll teach those punks to mess with April O'Neil." Raph added, punching his hand.

"Guys, it's just a phone. I'll get another one." April told us.

"Come on. What's the point of being a ninja if you can't help your friends when they get robbed?" Donnie asked.

I lightly shook my head, "April's right, guys. It's best to let this go. Like she said, it's just a phone." I told the boys.

Leo looked at me with a raised eyebrow, "What do you mean? Why shouldn't we get her phone back?"

"One cannot predict the consequences of battle." Master Splinter spoke up, from the dojo, "Every fight has the potential to stir a hornet's nest. A simple cell phone does not justify this risk."

"What risk? It's the Purple Dragons. Even Mikey and Donnie could beat 'em." Raph pointed out.

"Hey/Raphael!" Donnie, Mikey and I shouted in unison.

"Don't worry, Sensei. We'll be careful." Leo assured.

So, the boys and I dashed out of the Lair and made our way to the Fortune Cookie factory, to pay the Purple Dragons a visit and take April's phone back. Within the factory, Fong, Tsoi and Sid were throwing kunai knives at a calender of turtles. Raph saw an opportunity and kicked Sid into the wall behind him.

Fong took a spit-take and shouted, "The Turtles?"

"'Sup?" Raph greeted in a simple tone.

"Get 'em!" Fong told his gang.

Tsoi dashed toward Mikey, and jumped into the air to prepare a flying punch.

Mikey smiled, and prepared his nunchucks, "Bring it."

Raph called, "Comin' through!" and he tackled Tsoi in mid-air.

Mikey growled in annoyance and anger at Raph. I was able to take down Sid with ease. Donnie and Fong dashed toward each other, until Leo jumped in.

"I got it." Leo called, kicking Fong into the air.

"Hey!" Donnie cried in annoyance and anger.

Tsoi and Fong recovered from their attacks. "Let's get out of here!" Fong shouted.

He and Tsoi tried to make their escape, but the boys and I blocked them. I pinned Fong to the nearest wall.

I lightly smirked, "Hello, Fong."

Fong stared at me, finally recognising me, "Hamato?"

I nodded, "You and your gang stole a phone from a friend of ours. We want it back." I told him.

Fong scoffed, "Whatever. We steal a lot of phones."

"Well, let's see 'em. Now!" Leo told him

I let go of Fong and he showed us the stuff his gang stole. Stereo speakers, laptops, an couple of portraits and car CD players.

Donnie looked at the heap of stolen stuff and pointed at a red-covered cell phone, "Hey, that looks like it."

Suddenly, the factory began to shake violently. Some of the lightbulbs cracked and exploded.

"Does anyone else feel that?" Mikey asked.

The shaking got worse and I could swear I heard metallic clanks coming from underneath us.

"What's going on?" Sid asked, looking around.

Raph looked at me, "Ellie, are you-"

"I'm not doing this." I answered him.

Suddenly, the ground underneath us cracked and strange, metallic creatures appeared and screeched.

"What the heck?" Leo asked out of surprise and shock.

The creatures walked over to the stolen stash and began taking it for their own. As the ones leave, more come and take some more. A robbery within a robbery.

"Hey, those things are stealing the stuff we stole." Sid shouted.

Then something hit me, Fong disappeared. "Wait, where's-" I began to ask, then I looked up and saw Fong, making an escape with April's phone. "He's got the phone." I shouted.

Leo looked at Donnie and Mikey, "B-team, get him! We'll handle the metal." Then he looked at me, "Ellie, you're coming with us."

"Hey, we are-" Donnie was about to protest, but Leo cut him off.

"Just go!" Leo shouted, as he and I drew our weapons and began attacking the robotic creatures.

"If you guys can't handle it, don't be ashamed to call for help." Raph told his youngest brothers with a teasing smirk.

"Oh, yeah? Well, maybe you should call us for help. Or don't call us. We'll call you. Wait, I mean-" Mikey tried to insult back, but he got lost in thought.

Donnie placed his hand over Mikey's shoulder, "I think they got it."

Mikey blew a raspberry and joined Donnie on the pursuit of Fong. Raph, Leo and I made short work of the creatures. I looked over their design and materials. They were made by the same kind of metal that Baxter Stockman's armor was when he had the T-Pod. This made me think a bit.

A couple of the creatures retreated into the hole they made. Leo, Raph and I withdrew our weapons.

"Come on. Let's see where these things are coming from." Leo told us.

We jumped into the hole and began to follow the tunnel, to find out where the robots were coming from and who made them.

* * *

 _ ***At The Futon Factory...***_

 **Samantha's POV.**

Bradford and I were in the Futon Factory, on Fifth. Bradford sent a message to the Purple Dragons to see if they can jack any information they can find about Splinter and the Turtles.

We spent our time working out and sharpening our skills. A member of the Purple Dragons showed up, hold a red-cased cell phone.

"What is it?" Bradford asked, not looking at the punk.

"One of our guys jacked this earlier tonight." The punk told us, showing the phone. Then he informed us, "Then those turtles and the lizard came looking for it. Said it belongs to a friend of theirs."

"Really?" Bradford asked. And walked over to take a look at the phone.

* * *

 **Donatello's POV.**

Mikey and I followed Fong to the Defunct Futon Factory. We looked over the rooftop window and saw Fong give April's phone to Dogpound and Ellie's sister, who was now an arctic fox. This just got a little difficult.

"Aww, man. We can't take Dogpound and Snow Fox on our own." Mikey said with a small sigh of discouragement.

"Snow Fox?" I asked in confusion.

"Yeah. She's a fox and her fur is as white as-" He began to explain, but I cut him off.

"I got it." I told him, understanding that he was talking about Ellie's sister.

"Maybe we should wait for Leo, Elle and Raph." Mikey suggested with a shrug.

"And tell them we chickened out?" I asked, then pointed out, "Then they'll never stop calling us the B-team. We'll use stealth. With the right plan, we can grab the phone without Dogpound ever seeing us. Okay?"

Mikey nodded in understanding and we began formulating a plan to get April's phone back.

* * *

 _ ***Back in the tunnel...***_

 **Eleanor's POV.**

Raph, Leo and I followed the tunnel into an abandoned warehouse. The same warehouse Baxter stayed, or still stays. We entered the warehouse and saw Baxter and the creatures, along with the stuff they stole from the Purple Dragons. As often as I have to say it, I hate it when I'm right.

"Well done, my pretties." Baxter praised his creations.

The boys and I made ourselves known to Baxter.

"Dexter Spackman." Raph greeted, drawing his sais and mis-pronouncing Baxter's name.

"It's Baxter Stockman!" Baxter shouted.

Raph shrugged, "I was close."

Baxter looked at me and asked, "Who's the lizard?"

I lightly smirked, "Long time, no see, Baxter."

Baxter stared at me in recognition, "Eleanor? What the heck-"

"Something lead to another." I answered as simply as I could.

"So you're here to stop me again. Well, you don't stand a chance against my M.O.U.S.E.R.S." Baxter summarized and pointed out.

"Mousers?" Leo asked.

"Mobile offensive underground search, excavation, and retrieval sentries." Baxter answered.

"Seems a little forced." Leo commented. I nodded in agreement.

Baxter smirked at us, "Since my test robbery was successful, it's time to move on to bigger targets. These are about to make me very, very rich."

"And we're gonna make you very, very hurt." Raph snapped back.

The boys and I dashed toward Baxter. However, Baxter smirked and sprayed some red substance at us.

"Acid! Protect your eyes!" Leo shouted.

The red mist covered us, and Raph and Leo started coughing and gagging. I just covered my eyes.

The mist vanished and Raph stopped gagging, "Wait. We're fine."

I uncovered my eyes and looked at my hands. I was unscratched. Yet, why do I feel slightly like I've been tagged by something?

Leo stopped coughing, "You're right." Then he stared at Baxter, "Get him!"

"Get me? No, you will be the ones who will be getting got." Baxter threatened, then got a little confused, "Gotten?" Then regained his composure and pointed at us, "Get them!"

The mousers charged toward us and began attacking. Leo, Raph and I made short work of them.

"All gone." Raph said with a smirk.

"Good thing I made extra." Baxter smirked, pressing a black button on a remote. Inside a tank, we were standing next to, opened to reveal over a thoundsand mousers.

" **あ** **,** **撃つ**... (A, utsu/Oh, shoot)" I muttered.

The mousers attacked Leo, Raph and I, but we were able to take them down. However, like the Kraangdroids, the more we defeat, the more come.

"I'm calling it. Time to go." Leo called.

"I'll allow it." Raph agreed.

"Agreed!" I shouted.

Leo, Raph and I dashed out of the warehouse and tried to lose the mousers. However, they kept following and finding us. So, we found a way to escape via the rooftops. This game of cat and mouse was not fun, especially if you're the mouse.

"You think we lost them yet?" Leo asked, as we found a place to catch our breath.

However, our break was cut short, as the boys and I looked over and saw the mousers trying to climb toward us.

"I'd say no." Raph answered.

So, we kept running from rooftop to rooftop.

"How are those things tracking us?" Leo asked.

"It's gotta be that stuff he sprayed us with." Raph answered, thinking about the red mist Baxter sprayed at us.

"All right, we better call Donnie." Leo told Raph and I.

"You want to get bailed out by the B-team? Forget that." Raph asked, then snapped.

Leo looked ahead, "Maybe we won't have to." Leo, Raph and I made our way to a rooftop with a water tank. "Whatever this stuff is, we'll just wash it off." Leo said, as he cut open the pipe and water sprayed over us.

Raph yelped as the water hit him, "Cold!"

Leo smiled, "That ought to do it."

However, his plan didn't work as the mousers found a way to the rooftops and found us.

"Of course, we could call Donnie just to say hi." Raph suggested, running out of options.

Leo, Raph and I tried to take out a few of the mousers, and climbed up the water tank. Leo got out his T-Phone and called Donnie.

"Uh, no. No, of course not. No, we're we're great. I-I'm just, you know, checking to see if you guys need any help." Leo answered, making up an excuse.

I face-palmed, "Really, Leo? Is your pride that salty?"

Leo gave me a sheepish smile and returned to the phone.

"Uh, you know. Good-ish." He answered, then looked down. The mousers were chomping on the water tank's support beams. "Whoa! Whoops, call waiting! Gotta go!" Leo hurriedly said, then hung up the phone. He looked at Raph and I, "You were right. We've got to beat these things on our own if it kills us."

"Leo..." I started, as Raph drew a blank.

"Okay, bad choice of words." Leo said with a sheepish look.

Suddenly, the tank began to feel off balance.

Only one thought came to my mind, "Uh-oh."

The tank gave in and we fell to the concrete of the rooftop. Once the smoke and dust cleared, the mousers charged at us. Leo was right, we had to fight the mousers. We couldn't out-run them.

* * *

 _ ***Back at the Futon Factory...***_

 **Samantha's POV.**

The punk was taking his sweet time trying to unlock the phone.

Bradford was losing his patience and asked, "Can't you unlock it?"

The punk looked at us and shook his head, "It's encrypted or something."

Bradford, the punk and I heard a knock from the garage doors. Bradford opened the door and we saw the other two Purple Dragon punks with a skinny, African-American man with an afro and wearing a pair of glassed, a light purple sweater and blue pants.

There was something familiar about this man, but I can't seem to put my finger on it.

The African-American man saw and gasped in fright, "Uh, nice doggies?"

Bradford growled and snapped at the man. The Purple Dragons brought the man inside.

"This guy used his little robots to steal from us. Which means he's stealing from you." The punk with the goatie informed Bradford and I.

Bradford growled in impatience, "I don't have time for this. Get rid of him. I've got Turtles to find." He told the gang of punks.

The two strong members grabbed the man's arms and the man began to speak up, "Wait! Turtles? I hate those guys. I can help. In fact, I'm already helping."

This got my attention. "Explain." I told him.

"My mousers are destroying the turtles as we speak. Uh, two of them and the lizard girl, at least." The man explained.

This got Bradford's attention, "So you make robots."

I lightly smiled, "You must be good with electronics."

The man smiled, "The best. There's nothing I can't build, hack, or fix."

Bradford raised his arm and the man flinched. Bradford used his encrusted hand to untie the ropes around the man's hands. The man smiled.

"Could you hack into this phone?" Bradford asked, showing the man the phone.

The man smiled and scoffed, "You insult me, sir. Something so easy would be a waste of my talents."

"Well then, start wasting your talents. Before I waste you." Bradford told the man, giving him the phone.

The man gulped and started hacking into the phone.

* * *

 _ ***Back on the Rooftops...***_

 **Eleanor's POV.**

"Look, guys, mouser-kebabs." Leo joked, as he showed his katanas with mouser heads on them.

I lightly chuckled, as Raph, Leo and I continued destroying the little robots. While taking them out, I examined some of the hardware of the mousers. The cameras that act as the mousers' eyes, were always glowing the same red color as the mist that Baxter tagged us with. Must have something related to gamma microbes, but I couldn't be too sure yet. Raph threw two off the roof.

"These things are a cakewalk." Raph said, slightly out of breathe.

The boys and I made our way down an alley and continued on the mousers, using trashcan lids as shields. A mouser fell into the trashcan, behind Leo, and couldn't get out. Another tried to give us the jump, but we dodged and the mouser fell into the trashcan. From the entrance of the alley, more mousers come. Leo and Raph closed the trashcan and lied it side-ways, ready to be kicked into the incoming mousers.

"Now!" Leo called.

He, Raph and I kicked the trashcan down the alley, but it only hit one out of five. Back to our weapons again.

"I could do this all day." Leo said, sounding out of breathe and tired, while taking out more mousers.

"Same here." Raph agreed, sounding and doing the same.

However, the mousers got him on to the street. And a truck was coming toward him.

"Raph!" I called, dashing toward him.

"Ellie!" I heard Leo call me.

I tackled Raph away from the road, before the truck could hit him. Leo ran over to us to see if we were okay.

"That was so fun." Raph spoke up, out of breathe. Leo and I helped the red-masked turtle back to his feet. However, again, our break was cut short. More mousers kept coming.

"It's almost too much fun." Leo said.

And with that, we decided to keep running. With the mousers right on our tail. Literally.

* * *

 _ ***Back at the Futon Factory...***_

 **Samantha's POV.**

The man, we learned his name is Baxter Stockman, connected the phone to his laptop and began typing some coded down.

"There. My decryption program is ready." Stockman informed us with a smile.

Suddenly, the lights went off and everything was dark all around us.

"What's going on?" Bradford asked, looking around.

We heard rapid footsteps, but couldn't see anything. Then, there was a sound of something being taken. Could only mean one thing.

"The phone!" I alerted.

Bradford wasted no time following the sounds of rapid footsteps and was able to catch whatever took the phone. The lights came back on to reveal that Bradford caught two of the Turtles. The orange-masked one and the purple-masked one.

"Well, that plan didn't work." The orange-masked Turtle commented to his brother.

"Worked great for me." Bradford smiled.

I looked at the strong Purple Dragon punk, "Get the chains."

The Purple Dragons got the chains, and Bradford tied the Turtles to two guarders below the upper floors. Stockman plugged the phone back into his laptop. I looked at the Turtles with watchful eyes. I hate to admit it, but the purple-masked Turtle actually seems kinda cute.

Don't tell Father I said that.

"We'll have access to the phone in about ten minutes." Stockman told us with a smile.

"You're wasting your time. There's nothing on it." The purple-masked Turtle told Stockman.

"It's got a GPS log, doesn't it?" Stockman asked. And an answer, the Turtle gasped. Stockman smiled, "Once I unlock this phone, we'll see every place it's ever been."

The orange-masked Turtle gasped, "The Museum of Natural History."

"Or the Lair." The purple-masked Turtle whispered.

The orange-masked Turtle gasped again, "Even worse."

"If that phone tells me where Splinter is, I'll have no reason to keep you alive." Bradford told the Turtles.

"And if it doesn't tell us, we'll get the answers out of you." I included.

Bradford punched the wall next to the purple-masked Turtle, to emphasise his point, "That's what I call a win-win."

* * *

 _ ***Back in the Streets of New York...***_

 **Eleanor's POV.**

Leo, Raph and I ran until we arrived at the jewellery store. We stopped to try and catch our breath, before the mousers show up and decide to turn us into mouser chow.

"Okay, this is crazy." I spoke up, between breaths.

Leo nodded in agreement, "Maybe we should call-"

Raph cut Leo off, "We can do this."

I looked around and saw a street light and a fire hydrant on the other side of the road. An idea hit me, "I got an idea."

I ran my idea to Leo and Raph and they thought it might work. We made our way to the top of the street light and waited for the mousers to show up. After 30 seconds, they did. The mousers looked up and saw us.

"Up here, metal mouth!" Leo taunted, tapping the street light with his katana.

The mousers began chomping on the street light's post. Leo looked at me, and I nodded. Leo jumped down and made his way to the fire hydrant, by jumping the mousers' heads, destroying a few along the way. A mouser jumped for Leo but missed and chomped on the fire hydrant. Water sprayed over the rest of the mousers and the street. Perfect.

Raph grabbed my hand and we zip-lined to the driest part of the street. The damage the mousers did on the post caused the street light to collapse and crash into the water. Strong currents of electricity coursed through the water, shocking every mouser within range to go offline, which was all of them.

I smiled and shouted, "Booyakasha!" Hey, I see why Mikey says it very often. It's fun to yell.

Raph smiled, "Told you we didn't need those guys."

Unfortunately, more mousers came and dashed to attack us.

"Oh, come on." Leo and I moaned in exhaustion.

Leo, Raph and I ran into an empty warehouse and put a beam on the handles, locking the door. We also leaned on the door, to put more force on it. But, the mousers were stronger than they look.

"Okay, I admit it. I wish Donnie were here. I bet he could find a way to get these things off our tail." Raph admitted.

A mouser was able to break in from between Leo's feet.

"Make the call, Leo!" I told Leo.

Leo got his T-Phone and called Donnie. However, he wasn't answering. Leo tried Mikey, but the line sounded dead.

"Mikey's not answering either. Something's wrong." Leo summarized.

Raph groaned, "I should've known they'd need us to bail them-"

However, Raph was cut off by the mousers finally able to force the door open. Leo, Raph and I continued to destroy the remaining mousers, but they just kept coming. How many did Baxter create? It feels like an endless sea of Kraang.

Once we were finished with this wave of mousers, it was only a matter of time until the next wave showed. So, I decided to take the mousers' example; Strength in numbers.

"We need to get to the futon factory. If Donnie and Mikey aren't answering their phones, without a doubt they've got caught." I told Leo and Raph.

Leo agreed with me and Raph just sighed. So, wasting no time, we made our way to the futon factory. Without a doubt, the mousers followed us. Leo, Raph and I entered the factory via the rooftop. Bradford, Sam, Baxter and the Purple Dragon were inside with Donnie and Mikey tied up in chains. Leo and I called it.

"The Turtles and the Traitor!" Bradford alerted, while Sam just growled.

"Not so fast, Dogpound." Leo told Bradford, then saw Baxter, "And Dexter Spackman?"

"Baxter Stockman!" Baxter corrected in annoyance.

Bradford charged toward us and aimed to pound us with his large arm. Leo and I dodged and made our way to Baxter. Raph distracted Bradford. Baxter reached for April's phone, but Leo stopped him and I took the phone.

"How did you escape my mousers?" Baxter asked.

I shrugged and glared at him, "We didn't."

Right on cue, the mousers showed up. They showered on all of us, except for Donnie and Mikey. During the confusion, Leo cut Donnie and Mikey free from their chains.

"We're here to save the day, as usual." Raph told his brothers, saying the last part in a bored tone.

"Oh, yeah. Looks like you guys were doing great." Donnie remarked in a sarcastic tone.

"You try fighting off 2,000 robots!" Raph argued, pointing at the incoming mousers.

"Let's beat it!" Fong called his men, as they made their escape. Cowards...

The turtles and I fought the mousers, while Bradford and Sam were trying to fight off the mousers as well. I realized that they really wanted April's phone, so an idea hit me.

I looked at Mikey and shouted, "Mikey! Keep away!"

I threw the phone and Mikey caught it. Bradford and Sam noticed and started chasing Mikey from the second floor. Donnie destroyed a mouser and picked up the same thing I did before.

He gasped in amazement, "Whoa! A gamma camera." Then he explained, "It detects radioisotopes. That must be what he's tagged you with."

I smiled, attacking more mousers, "Thanks, Donnie. Thought it had something to do with gamma microbes!"

"Oh. How do we get it off?" Raph said, then asked.

"You can't. It wears off gradually. But if someone else got sprayed, they'd give off a stronger signal." Donnie answered, destroying more mousers.

Mikey was able to keep away from Bradford and Sam, until he tripped and dropped the phone. Sam smirked and picked up the phone, while Bradford raised his hand, aiming to pound Mikey to the ground. Donnie hit Bradford with his staff and I gave Sam a high-kick in the face. The force caused her to drop the phone. Sam growled and glared at me.

"We gotta get Stockman's spray. It controls the mousers." Donnie told us.

"You mean that thing?" Mikey asked, pointing at Baxter.

Baxter smirked, "I'll handle this, dog man and fox lady." He showed the same spray can he sprayed Leo, Raph and I with, "One spritz and they're mouser chow."

Raph threw two shuriken stars at Baxter's spray can. The red mist leaked out of the can and covered the trio. The mousers stopped attacking me and the boys, and started attacking the recently sprayed trio. Baxter, Sam and Bradford made their escape. Bradford heard a phone ringing and picked up April's phone.

I couldn't let it happen, I muttered, "I'm sorry, April." And I threw my tanto at the phone, breaking it into pieces. Sam and Bradford glared at me.

"Hang it up, Dogpound. Your call just got dropped." Donnie told Bradford.

The mousers dashed at the trio and the trio made their escape by breaking through the nearest wall. The mousers followed them closely behind.

"Nice job, guys." Leo praised his brothers.

Raph smiled, "Yeah, from here on out, you're the 'A-' team."

"That's probably the best we're gonna get out of him." Donnie said to Mikey.

Raph gave Mikey a noogie, and the rest of us made our way back to the Lair.

* * *

 _ ***Later, back in The Lair...***_

The Turtles and I gladly made it back, and now it was time to kick back and unwind. Mikey did some breakdancing, Raph was spending his time with Spike, Leo, Donnie and I were relaxing and playing pinball.

Master Splinter walked in, "I hope you all see that by choosing your own battles poorly, you created your own crisis." He told us.

"Yeah, there's definitely some irony there." Donnie shrugged.

"Okay, it got a little out of control, but we learned our lesson." Leo admitted.

I smiled and shrugged, "And at least we got April's phone back."

April turned up and heard what I said, "You did? Sweet."

She walked over and Donnie gave April her phone. However, it fell into pieces in his hand.

I scratched the back of my head, "Sorry, April. The mission involved some complications."

"Uh, the important thing is it didn't end up in the wrong hands." Leo added in my defence.

"Gee. Thanks, guys." April thanked in a fake tone.

Donnie smiled, "Uh, don't worry, April. You can have one of my custom-built T-phones."

He gave April a T-Phone with her signature color on the display screen.

April smiled and took the phone, "Ooh, cool."

Mikey joined us and advised, "Just don't say, 'T-phone, self-destruct.'" Then, April's phone sparked and smoked up, "Or else that happens."

"Mikey!" I shouted, as Mikey ran off somewhere.

I shook my head at the youngest brother. I hope he gets his chance to shine and not do something stupid.


	12. It Came from the Depths

It Came From the Depths (F.K.A: Leatherhead).

 **Eleanor's POV.**

It was a calm day today. No Kraang on the loose. Shredder has not planned his next move. No threats from Bradford, Sam, Xever or the Purple Dragons.

So, they boys and I were just kicking back and doing our own thing. Leo was looking through the channels. Donnie was serving the web. Raph was playing the arcade game at the entrance. Mikey was in the kitchen. And I was drawing in one of my Dreampads. I was sketching a shadowed figure fighting Kraangdroids. It was large and looked reptilian. Kinda like me, but larger. Yeah, I had this dream two nights ago. The shadow was holding something glowing Kranng pink.

Anywho, Mikey came in with a smile on his face.

"Who wants to try my latest creation?" He asked us, then explained what he did, "We all love pizza. We all love milkshakes. So I combined them."

"Okay, that could not be less appetizing." Donnie said with his hands up.

"I call it a P-shake." Mikey introduced, showing us a blender cup with, what looked like, pureed pizza condements; cheese, tomato puree, pepperoni and breadcrumbs.

Donnie covered his mouth, to try and not to barf, "I stand corrected."

"You guys just have no sense of adventure." Mikey told us. He took a sip of his 'P-shake' and quickly spat it back into the cup. Leo, Raph, Donnie and I gagged at the sight. "Where did I go wrong?" Mikey asked himself. Then, he drank the entire shake.

The other boys and I turned our heads in disgust and Leo flipped the channel to Space Heroes. Good save, Leo. This episode took place in the ship, in the main deck. Captain Ryan, Mr. Crenshaw, Grundch and Dr. Mindstrong were surrounded by little, pink fluffballs with trumpet-like snouts.

"In all my travels, I've never seen anything as cute as these Trumpets." Captain Ryan said, then he shouted, "But I'll be darned, if they're not the most annoying species in the cosmos!"

Mr. Crenshaw, Grundch and Dr. Mindstrong covered their ears, whilst Captain Ryan closed his and tried to ignore the honking noises the creatures were making.

"Captain, we've got to find a humane way to get rid of them!" Mr. Crenshaw told Captain Ryan.

"If there's one thing I'm known for, it's my humanity." Captain answered. He walked over to his chair and strapped himself in. "Open the airlock." He told Mr. Crenshaw.

Mr. Crenshaw opened the airlock and braced himself. The vaccum of space sucked all of the creatures out of the ship and into the emptiness of the stars. Captain Ryan smiled in relief. Leo and I smiled back. It was a really funny episode.

"You have to be the only person in the world who likes this show." Raph told Leo.

Leo smiled and told Raph, "No way. There are millions of Spaceniks out there."

Spacenicks is the name taken to identify yourself as a Space Heroes fan. Kinda like Bronies.

I smiled and nodded, "Heck, you're looking at two of them right now."

Raph took the remote and flipped the channel. The news showed up with a blonde-haired, middle-aged woman in a purple suit.

"I'm Joan Grody, with a sewer shocker. City workers attacked by Mutants?" The reporter, Joan Grody, reported, then stated in question. This caught our attention.

The screen switched to an underground construction worker, standing in front of a sewage tunnel with a three-digit number and police tape over it. "It was like part man, part reptile, and all monster! It came out of nowhere and attacked me." The worker answered, shaking in fear and lightly flinching.

Leo and Donnie looked at Raph. I narrowed my eyes at the tunnel.

Raph looked at them and shrugged his shoulders, "Wasn't me."

Joan Grody spoke up again, "Take a look at this terrifying footage."

The screen showed the footage of the attack. The construction worker was smiling in front of the camera with the same tunnel entrance behind him.

"So some people think the sewers are dark and scary, but actually, it's a lot of-" The worker was starting to explain, then stopped at the sound of growling behind him.

Behind the worker, emerged a reptilian Mutant. Raph was right. It wasn't him. It looked like an anthropomorphic crocodile. Its figure matched the same shape as the shadow from my dream. The crocodile attacked the worker and threw him away.

"Somebody help me!" The worker cried.

The footage ended with an up-side down image of the crocodile, and returned back to Joan Grody.

"Are malicious Mutants menacing Manhattan?" Joan asked, then added with a smile, "Find out next on Grody; To the Max."

Then, Raph paused the TV.

"I got a bad feeling about this." Donnie spoke up, voicing my thoughts.

Leo stood up, "The last thing we want is some mutant causing trouble in the sewers."

"Or some news crew down here looking for him." Raph added.

"We've got to track this guy down and stop him ourselves." Leo told us. Finally, some action.

I took the remote and spoke up, "Wait, let's rewind this." I reround the footage to the point I saw the tunnel, "Think I saw a tunnel number." Then paused it at the right moment, "There. Tunnel 281."

"Let's go." Leo told us.

The boys and I got our ninja gear and made our way to the tunnel. We walked through the tunnel for a few minutes, until Leo looked down and stopped us. He saw a trail of large footprints.

"Whoa, check this out." He said. He laided his hand over a footprint and the print was bigger than his hand. "What the heck made these footprints?" He asked.

I looked and placed my hand in the footprint, "Looks like an 8 foot tall _Alligator Mississippiensis_."

The boys looked at me in confusion, "Wha?"

"An American Alligator." I translated, then slightly chuckled, "Come on guys."

The boys and I followed the footprints, and stopped at the sound of laserfire and roaring. We peeked through the end of the tunnel and found, as I expected, an 8 foot tall, anthropomorphic American Alligator fighting a large group of Kraangdroids. As I watched the fight, I noticed a large, deep scar over the alligator's left pector muscle, where his heart is located. Apart from his scar, he was taking down the Kraang quite well. He threw one near us. The Kraang ran in fear.

"I never thought I'd feel sorry for the Kraang." Donnie spoke up.

Just as he said that, the Kraang drew out their own design of taser-ended eskrima sticks and began shocking the alligator to the ground.

"Taking that back, Donnie?" I asked Donnie.

"Yup." Donnie answered in a simple tone.

"Tell Kraang in what place can be found the power cell, that Kraang wishes to find the place of." A Kraangdroid demanded the alligator.

The alligator snarled and answered in a gruff and hourse voice, "Never!"

The Kraang began to shock the alligator some more. The alligator roared and screamed in pain. My heart ached at this sight. We had to do something to help him.

"Come on, we gotta help him." Mikey said, grabbing Raph's arm and beating me to my thoughts.

I looked at him slight shock. He wanted to help something he knows nothing about?

Raph got his arm out of Mikey's grip, "I think 'gotta' is a strong word."

"Mikey, we don't know anything about that guy." Leo pointed out about the alligator.

I spoke up, "Guys, he's hurt. And he's fighting against the Kraang."

Mikey looked at me with surprise, then smiled at me.

"He could be way more dangerous than the Kraang." Leo answered, pointing out an obvious possibility. Yes, alligators are very strong and can kill a man, but that's only if they feel threatened or if you're in their territory.

"The alligator needs our help." I pointed out.

"I can't wait around for you cowards." Mikey added.

"Do you know what you're getting into?" Donnie asked us.

Mikey and I jumped out the shadows and drew our weapons.

"Booyakashaaa!" Mikey yelled, throwing his kusarigama around a Kraangdroid's eskrima stick and threw it into another Kraangdroid's head.

"Well, I guess that settles it. Let's go whack some pinatas." I heard Raph said, as the rest of them joined the fight.

The boys and I took out the Kraang with no trouble. Two of the Kraang tried to drag the alligator away, but I noticed and this angered me. I know nothing about the alligator, yet I feel connected to it. Like it was a part of me.

"Leave him alone!" I shouted at the Kraangdroids, throwing my hands forward and releasing an indigo psionic wave. The wave hit the Kraangdroids, and the Kraang fled. The anger faded and I calmed down.

The boys and I withdrew our weapons.

"So what do we do now?" Donnie asked.

"We get out of here before more Kraangdroids show up." Leo answered.

Mikey and I noticed that Leo said nothing about the alligator. Was he thinking about leaving the poor thing behind? No way! We can't do that!

Mikey cuddled up to the alligator's head, "We can't just leave him here. What if the Kraang find him?"

"Well, what do you want to do? Take him back to the lair?" Leo asked, in a rhetorical tone.

Leo got his answer by Mikey giving him the puppy-eyes.

"Oh, no. Oh, no." Leo answered.

I narrowed my eyes at the Leader-in-Blue, "What choice do we have Leo? Like Mikey said, we can't leave him."

"Did- did you see what he did to those Kraangdroids?" Leo asked, then said in a stern tone, "We are not bringing that monster home with us."

"He's not a monster!" I shouted in defence.

"Elle's right! He's a giant, Kraang-crushing, mutant, alligator monster." Mikey defended, then realised what he said, "I said 'monster', didn't I?"

The other boys nodded in agreement.

"Well, you know what I meant." Mikey replied.

"I thought you meant monster." Raph pointed out.

Leo and Donnie nodded in agreement again.

Mikey pouted, "Fine. Ellie and I'll bring him back ourselves."

Mikey and I tried to move the unconscious alligator back to the Lair, but he was too big and too heavy for the two of us to move.

"Um, Donnie, you don't happen to have a forklift, do you?" Mikey asked.

Donnie and Leo looked at each other and said nothing.

"No? Okay." Mikey sighed, then he looked at me, "Ellie?"

I shrugged, "Sorry. Still out of my reach, Mikey." I knew he was talking about those 'nature abilities'. But, no matter how hard I've tried, I couldn't make a rock move.

Mikey and I continued to try and move the alligator, but he wouldn't budge. I heard Leo sigh, then the others decided to help us out. The boys and I were able to get the alligator to the Lair. It took some time, but we made it.

"I can't believe we let them talk us into this." Raph snapped.

Mikey smiled at cooed, "Aww, look at him." He put a teddy bear in the alligator's hands.

I gently smiled and stroked the alligator's head, "He's so peaceful."

"That's because he's out cold." Leo pointed out.

Donnie walked in with a very long chain.

Mikey noticed and his smiled disappeared, "Whoa, what are those for?"

"We can't keep him here, unless he's chained to something really big." Donnie answered.

"That is so wrong." Mikey snapped, then returned to the alligator with a smile, "He's not going to hurt us."

I nodded in agreement, "We're the ones who saved him." The alligator opened his eyes and the white membrane was over them. This can only mean one thing, "Uh-oh." I started to slowly step back.

Mikey didn't notice, as he smiled, "See? He's perfectly calm."

"Mikey, I'd take a step back." I advised, but he didn't listen.

"I bet the first thing he's gonna do is thank-" Mikey started, until the alligator stood up and roared. It noticed the bear and ripped its head off. "Or maybe the second thing." Mikey squeaked.

The alligator roared and grabbed Donnie by his face and began shaking him.

"Get him off me! Get him off me!" Donnie cried.

Mikey grabbed the chain and began swinging it, "I'll help you, Donnie!"

Mikey threw the chain around Donnie's waist and began to pull.

"Not like that! Not like that!" Donnie shouted.

Leo and Raph tried to help, but the alligator threw them away. The alligator roared again. I could've sworn he roared 'Kraang', but it might be my hearing playing games on me. Mikey jumped to a pipeline on the cieling and tried pulling Donnie out the alligator's grip again.

"Help me!" Donnie cried, helpless to do anything.

Raph jumped on top of the alligator and covered his eyes. Leo grabbed Donnie's taser-gun and fired it at the alligator. Raph jumped off before the current hit. The attack only made the alligator angry and his grip tighten on Donnie's head.

I glared at Leo and shouted, "What the shell, Leonardo!?"

I walked over to the alligator. The alligator looked at me and roared. Unfazed, I lifted my hand, so he could see it.

"Easy. It's okay. I'm not gonna hurt you." I told the alligator in a calm and gentle tone.

The alligator stared at me, but seemed to have calmed down a bit.

"Drop my friend and calm down." I told him.

The alligator dropped Donnie and lowered itself to my level, growling and snarling faded to calm heavy breathing.

I smiled and petted the alligator's snout, "Good boy. Now, get some rest. You've had a hard day."

The alligator nodded and fell asleep. Before it fell asleep, the white membranes were lowered. I stroked the alligator's forehead and smiled.

Donnie, who recovered from the alligator's attack gasped in amazment, "Whoa, when did you know how to calm vicious monsters?" He asked.

I smiled, "It's a gift, Donnie." Then, my smile faded and I turned serious, "And what have I said about the 'M' word?"

"What is all this commotion?" Uncle Splinter asked, as he just entered the lounge.

"Sensei, Mikey and Ellie made us bring a Mutant back to the lair, and it attacked us." Raph told his mentor.

"It needs our help." Mikey pointed out.

"It's a dangerous monster." Raph argued.

Out of anger, I hit Raph over the head with one of my eskrima sticks, "Raphael." I warned.

"There is no monster more dangerous than a lack of compassion." Uncle Splinter said, then he looked at the alligator, "My mistake."

"We're doing to him what everyone else does to us, judging him by his looks." Mikey pointed out.

"And the fact that he had me by the face, Mikey!" Donnie shouted, then clutched his head in fear of the event.

"But he was fighting the Kraang, **伯父さん** (Oji-san/Uncle). We can't ignore that." I pointed out.

"It's like you always say: The enemy of my enemy is my bro." Mikey added, quoting Splinter's words.

"That is not exactly what I said." Uncle Splinter reminded with a slight concerned look, then returned to what I said earlier, "But what is this about the Kraang?"

"They were trying to force him to tell them where they could find some... power cell." Leo answered.

"And he refused to tell?" Uncle Splinter asked.

"Yeah. They were all like, 'zap, zap, zap,' and he was all like, 'rawr, never!'" Mikey answered, re-enacting the event.

Uncle Splinter nodded, then looked deep in thought. I thought for a second and decided to give the Turtles and their mentor a little reminder.

" **伯父さん** , think from our point of view." I said, getting their attention, "When I was human, when I first met you guys, did I call you monsters or **悪魔** (akuma/demons)? Did I run and report you to the military or the news?" I asked.

The boys looked at each other and Uncle Splinter stroked his beard in thought.

I answered, "No, I didn't. The first thing my former sensei taught me was to keep an open mind. Appearances can be deceiving."

Uncle Splinter nodded in understanding my words, "A very wise statement, Eleanor."

"Besides, you were already one of us when you were human." Leo reminded with a small smile, which caused me to smile back.

"You two made a wise decision." Uncle Splinter spoke up, speaking to me and Mikey.

The boys and I looked at him in confusion.

"Yes, I never thought I'd hear myself say that either." Uncle Splinter said with a light shrug. Then, he looked at the alligator's scar. The same scar I saw. "His scars run deep, but they protect a genuine heart." Sensei muttered, then he looked at Mikey and I, "When he awakens, Michelangelo, Eleanor, you must find a way to befriend him."

Mikey smiled, "No problemo."

I smiled and nodded in agreement.

"We need to learn what he knows about the Kraang. In the meantime, you three try to find this power cell before the Kraang can." Master Splinter told us.

"But we're still chaining him up, right?" Donnie asked in a slight paniced tone.

"Of course. I am compassionate, not insane." Master Splinter answered.

With Master Splinter's help, the boys were able to chain the alligator up. With that done, Donnie, Leo and Raph left the Lair to begin their search for the mentioned power cell. Master Splinter returned to the dojo. Mikey and I went to the kitchen and began making some food for the alligator. Mikey was making his pizza noodle soup, while I was making camomile tea.

To break the silence, Mikey asked me a question, "How did you do that, Elle?"

"Do what?" I asked.

"You know, with the Kraang. You just waved your hands and you blew them away." Mikey answered.

I shrugged, "I've always been able to do it. I just thought I'd let my secrets out one at a time. That way, you guys wouldn't freak out and treat me any different."

"Treat you any different? Come on. You're able to control the ground under your feet, when you're out-cold. You make tea medicines. And you're already one of us. That doesn't mean we'll treat you any less." Mikey stated.

I looked at him and smiled. Suddenly, Mikey and I heard a voice speak, "Where am I?" Then, we heard roars and the ground trembled under my feet. The alligator was awake. Mikey and I left the kitchen and saw the alligator awake and struggling to get free from the chains.

"Well, look who's awake." Mikey smiled.

I gently smiled, "Good morning, sunshine."

The alligator tried to reach for us, "You! Set me free!" He told us.

My smile faded, "I'm sorry about the chains."

"The guys said I had to keep you locked up or you might attack us." Mikey explained.

"Who are you two? What am I doing here?" The alligator asked, looking around the Lair.

"I'm Michelangelo." Mikey introduced himself. He reach out his hand, but the alligator nearly snapped at it. "My brothers, my friend Eleanor, here, and I saved you from the Kraang." He explained.

The white membrane returned around the alligator's eyes, as he shouted, "Kraang!" He struggled to get free and attack.

Quickly, I raised my hand and touched his snout, "Whoa, whoa! It's okay." I told the alligator, as he calmed down and went to his knees. "You're safe. We brought you here so you could heal." I explained in a calm tone.

Mikey smiled, "And nothing will heal you faster than my world famous pizza noodle soup."

Mikey gave a spoonful of the stuff to the alligator. The alligator ate it, snapped his jaws, then smiled in delight. Mikey was flinching slightly.

"This is the best thing I have ever tasted." The alligator said with a smile.

Mikey looked at the alligator, "Really?" Then smiled, "All right! Somebody finally likes my cooking!"

Mikey fed the soup to the alligator. Once the soup was half-way finished, the alligator took the pot, while Mikey was fixing the teddy bear. The alligator looked at the mug in my hands.

"What is that, in your hands?" He asked me.

I looked at the tea. "It's camomile tea. It's supposed to be a good pain relief and will help with your scar, here." I explained, gently placing my hand over his scar. I looked at the alligator, "If it's okay, could I take a look at it?"

The alligator looked unsure. He looked at Mikey.

Mikey smiled and nodded, "Don't worry. Eleanor is a really good doctor."

The alligator looked at me and nodded. I took a look at the scar. It penatrated through his underbelly and touched a muscle. No amount of tea or oil can remove this. But, I can relief the pain and try to speed up the healing process. I cupped my hand and poured some of the tea. I gently put my hand over the scar and began slowly rubbing the tea into it.

The alligator tensed and roared in pain.

I looked at Mikey, "Mikey, give him the rest of the tea. It'll help him."

Mikey did what I asked him. The alligator drank the rest of the tea and he relaxed. I removed my hand noticed a slight change in the scar.

"There. It's what I can do for the meantime. It'll take a bit of time to heal on its own." I said with a smile.

The alligator gave me a small smile, "Thank you, Eleanor."

"So, what's your name, anyway?" Mikey asked. Since the alligator know our names, we need to know his.

"I do not have one." The alligator answered with a sulk.

"You don't have a name?" Mikey asked, then he smiled, "Ha! Well, today's your lucky day, 'cause I'm a genius at naming stuff." Then Mikey started his examination, "Let's see." Mikey gave the alligator a slight deep examination. From the alligator's tail, to his spines, then to his teeth. "Your head is kind of leathery. How about Headleather? Heather?" Mikey ran through his ideas, then one hit him, "No, wait! Leatherhead!" He smiled, "Even better! Leatherhead."

"Leatherhead it is. Thank you." The alligator, Leatherhead, said and thanked with a smile.

Mikey smiled back, "No problemo. It's what I do." Then, he turned curious, "So I've been wanting to ask you, why did you go all crazy-eyes on my brother Donnie?"

"Your brother?" Leatherhead asked.

Mikey nodded, "Yeah. Instead of shaking his hand, you shook his face and most of his body."

Leatherhead sulked and went deep into thought. His aura shifted to horrified terror.

I took hold of his hand, "We won't think any less of you, Leatherhead."

"There are times when I lose control. When I awaken, I am horrified by what I have done." Leatherhead answered with a sulk and a sad tone, then added, looking at the chains, "A monster like me deserves to be chained."

I shook my head and quoted what Splinter-Sensei and Miyamoto-Sensei told me, "There is no monster more dangerous than a lack of compassion. Even the most gentle soul has trouble controlling his anger."

"Maybe you just think you're a monster, because everyone treats you that way." Mikey added.

Leatherhead nodded in agreement, "You two are wise beyond your years."

Mikey smiled, "Yeah, I get that a lot."

I sighed, "You know, Leatherhead. It hurts just to see a kind soul chained up like this."

I stood up and walked behind the pillar Leatherhead was chained to. I closed my eyes, put my hands over each other, creating a small orb of psionic energy, then stretched my arms out wide. The orb disappeared and the chain snapped, releasing Leatherhead.

* * *

( **A/N: Midna's move when she freed Link when they first met in Twilight Princess.** )

* * *

Just as I did, Leo, Raph and Donnie returned from their adventure.

"Hey, guys. Leatherhead is totally off the chain." Mikey greeted, then told his brothers.

The boys paniced, "You mean you set him free?" Raph asked.

I tilted my head, "What? No." I shook my head.

"'Off the chain' means he's cool." Mikey explained. The boys sighed in relief. "And that's why we set him free." Mikey finished, and the boys freaked again.

The boys looked at Leatherhead, who smiled sweetly. Mikey and I waved and smiled at him.

"You let that maniac loose?" Donnie asked.

I glared at him, "He's not a maniac, Donnie!"

"Maybe you two forgot that he grabbed me by the face. So I'll remind you. He grabbed me..." He said in a calm tone, then he shouted, "BY THE FACE!"

"Relax. You've been hurt worse since." Raph told Donnie.

"Mikey, Ellie, you shouldn't have unchained him. What if he goes berserk?" Leo told us, then asked.

Mikey shook his head, "He's not going to go berserk." He walked over to Leatherhead and petted his snout, "He's totally mellow."

Leo sighed, "Okay." He walked over to Leatherhead, "So, Leatherhead about the Kraang."

Mikey and I gasped. Uh-oh. Leatherhead dropped the pot of soup and the white membrane appeared over his eyes.

Leatherhead shouted, "Kraang!" And roared into a rampage. Leo jumped out of the way and Raph ducked as Leatherhead swung his arms.

I quickly placed my hand over Leatherhead's forehead and stroked his snout, "Leatherhead, calm down. They're not here. It's okay." I told him in a calm tone.

Leatherhead calmed down and fell to his knees.

Mikey stared at Leo, "What were you thinking?"

"You said he was mellow!" Leo answered.

"I didn't know you were going to ask him about the you-know-who." Mikey told him.

"Okay, what should I do?" Leo asked.

"I don't know, maybe start with an icebreaker, like, 'how was your day'?" Mikey answered, and suggested.

Leo sighed, "Fine." Then he looked at Leatherhead, "Um, Leatherhead. How was your day?" He asked.

"It started out awful." Leatherhead answered in a sad tone.

"Yeah, you were attacked by the Kraang." Mikey said, matter-of-fact, and bluntly.

The membrane appeared again and Leatherhead shouted again, "Kraang!"

I glared at Mikey, "Mikey!"

Mikey smiled sheepishly, "My bad." Then he started trying to calm Leatherhead down. He started by covering his eyes, "Whoa, buddy!" Then rubbing his ribcage, "Cleansing breaths!" Then massaging his foot, "Cleansing breaths." And finally, patting his shoulders, "Cleansing breaths."

Leatherhead calmed down and fell to his knees again. The poor thing. What did the Kraang do to him, to make him so angry at them?

I walked over and placed my hand over his forehead, "You know you're in a safe place now, right?" I asked.

"Yes." Leatherhead answered.

"My brothers just want to ask you a few questions." Mikey told him.

"Do you think you can handle that?" I asked.

"Yes." He answered.

I smiled, "Okay."

"Now, what is it that you guys wanted to ask?" Mikey asked his brothers.

Leo and Raph looked at Donnie. Donnie walked forward, "Okay. W-w-we just want to know what this is."

Donnie showed a glass canister with a glowing crystal inside. I gasped at the sight of it. It was glowing the same color as the object in my dream.

The white membrane returned over Leatherhead's eyes and he grabbed Donnie's face again, "Thief!"

"Oh, come on!" Donnie cried. Leatherhead roared loudly, indicating he was going to go on a rampage. "This is not my day!" Donnie cried.

Raph and Leo dashed toward Leatherhead, but Leatherhead threw them back. Leatherhead threw Donnie into Raph, causing him to drop the glowing crystal. Leatherhead noticed and turned his attention to it. Raph threw Donnie of him and kicked the crystal to the entrance of Donnie's lab. I grabbed the crystal, drew out my eskrima stick, activated the taser-end and aimed it at Leatherhead. Leatherhead stopped a few feet in front of me.

"Leatherhead, stop!" I told him in a stern voice.

But he roared at me, charged and grabbed me in his jaws. I tried to escape, but the power in his jaws and the force of him waving me around was too painful. Leatherhead threw me into the wall, near the toll gates. I dropped the crystal and the pain of the impact caused me to black out.

* * *

 **Leonardo's POV.**

Leatherhead threw Ellie into the wall, near the toll gates. She dropped the power cell, causing it to roll toward the gates, and blacked out. I felt like my heart drop and my blood ran cold, no pun intended.

"Elle!" I cried in worry.

Raph ran up Leatherhead's back and forced his head down. Raph picked up the power cell and threw toward Mikey, before Leatherhead rolled on to him. Donnie and I tried to get Leatherhead off Raph, but he turned his attention to us. His tail threw me on to my back, and he snapped at Donnie and threw him into the wall near Ellie.

Mikey caught Leatherhead's attention, "Leatherhead, relax! It's okay!" He shouted.

Leatherhead looked at Mikey, who flinched, and took the power cell from him.

Mikey grabbed his, stopping him from leaving, "No! Put that down!"

But, Leatherhead ignored him and threw him into one of the toll gates.

"Stop!" Master Splinter's voice shouted, catching Leatherhead's attention, "Get away from my children." He told the anger-proned alligator.

Leatherhead charged toward Master Splinter, and aimed to attack him. But, Splinter was too fast and was able to out-manuvure him. After one final throw, Leatherhead was close to the toll gates.

"Leave this place. Out!" Master Splinter told Leatherhead. Leatherhead left the Lair and Master Splinter ran to us, in worry, "Boys, are you all right?"

"Yeah. Yeah, we're okay." I answered, as I got up.

"Where are Eleanor and Michelangelo?" Sensei asked, looking around.

Donnie looked at me, "You don't think they went after Leatherhead, do you?"

I shook my head and lightly chuckled, "No. Only an idiot would-" I stopped myself, as it hit me. They did go after him. "Oh, boy."

* * *

 **Eleanor's POV.**

Mikey and I ran down the tracks, following Leatherhead's tracks. Mikey and I came to during Sensei's fight with Leatherhead. We snuck out and been following Leatherhead since then. We're his friends, we need an explanation for what happened.

"Leatherhead!" Mikey called.

"Leatherhead? Are you here?" I called.

Mikey and I arrived at an abandoned train station, that had trains and cars still in it. The car in front of us had a graffiti sign on it. The initials 'C.J' and a hockey goalie mask next to it. My cousin was here.

My train of thought was broken by the sound of a jazz band playing. It was coming from the car in front of us, with the graffiti. Mikey threw the door open and Leatherhead was inside. His aura wasn't angry anymore, but full of regret of what he just did.

"Dude! Leatherhead, what's the big idea, man?" Mikey shouted.

"You should not be here." Leatherhead told us.

"We trusted you. Then you freak out and attack our entire family. I thought we were friends." Mikey told Leatherhead, sounding angry then to hurt. I wasn't angry at Leatherhead for what happened, but I did feel hurt.

"I warned you that there is a dangerous force inside me that I cannot control. And that is why I must be alone." Leatherhead reminded, then told us.

"Leatherhead..." Raph voice spoke up from behind Mikey and I. The other boys came in and drew their weapons at Leatherhead, "Get away from Mikey and Ellie, or we'll turn you into the world's ugliest suitcase." Raph threatened.

Leo looked at me, sick with worry, "Elle, you okay? Did he hurt you?" He asked me. Why would he worry about me so much?

"I'm fine, Leo." I assured with a smile. Although, my back still hurts from the impact. I'll power through.

"Please! I mean them no harm. It was the Kraang that made me this way." Leatherhead pleaded, then explained. "I was raised by a kind human boy, until his parents discovered me and dumped me in the sewer. The Kraang found me and took me to their dimension. They mutated me and subjected me to horrible experiments. But they could not break my spirit. Six months ago, I escaped through the portal that they used to travel to Earth, and I stole this." He explained his story, and showed us the glowing crystal. I went deep into thought. His escape sounds just like the creature's escape from my dream.

"What did they use it for?" Donnie asked.

"It powers the portal. Without it, no Kraang can enter or leave this dimension. I swore to keep it from them and spare this world from their evil, even at the cost of my own life." Leatherhed answered.

Then, his story made sense. And my dream made sense. It was a vision of Leatherhead's past.

"So, it was you." I gasped.

Leatherhead looked at me, "What do you mean?"

I searched through my bag and got out my Dreampad, "I dreamt this two nights ago. And I've been sketching it since, trying to get every last detail." I explained, flipping to the page with the shadowed figure and the glowing light in its hand. I showed it to Leatherhead, "This is you with the power cell, right?"

Leatherhead looked at the picture and nodded, "Yes, it is."

Suddenly, there was a loud pounding at the door and the car was pushed over a bit. Leatherhead growled protectingly.

"Give to Kraang the power cell, that Kraang has come to demand, that you give to Kraang." A Kraangdroid's voice spoke from the other side of the door.

"It's the Kraang!" Mikey cried.

"Quick, barricade the doors!" Leo told us.

Some Kraangdroids were able to make their way in, but Leo, Donnie and I made quick work of them, while Raph and Mikey tried to close the door. A Kraangdroid was able to grab Leatherhead's power cell and tried to take it from him. Using his katanas, Leo cut the Kraangdroid's arms off. Raph and Mikey were able to close the door.

It was quiet for a few minutes, until the Kraang started forcing their way in with the saw part of their weapons. The Kraangdroid, that Leo cut to arms off, reactivated itself and its arms attacked Leo and Donnie. Leatherhead knocked the head off, and the head landed in Mikey's hands.

The head went online and said one thing, "Kraang!"

Mikey screamed and threw the head away. Then, the rest of the Kraangdroids tried to reach in via the windows.

"We're surrounded." Raph told us.

"We'll never hold them off." Mikey sulked.

"We gotta get out of here." Leo said, then he looked at Donnie, "Donnie, can you get this subway car running?"

"This track is dead, Leo. There's no electricity." I told him.

"What about the power cell? Can you use that?" Leo asked.

"I might be able to hook it up to the motor, but I'll need time." Donnie answered.

Leatherhead stood up, "I will buy you time." He looked at me and Mikey, "My friends, you have trusted me. Now I am trusting you." He told us, giving Mikey the power cell, "I will deal with the Kraang."

With that said, Leatherhead jumped out of the car and began taking down the Kraang. Mikey gave Donnie the power cell and Leo opened the hatch to the motor. Donnie began hooking the power cell to the motor, as the other boys and I took care of the remaining Kraang.

"Donnie, we're running out of time." Leo told Donnie.

"I'm working as fast as I can!" Donnie replied.

I looked out the window and noticed the Kraangdroids had finally got Leatherhead down.

"Donnie will you hurry up?" Raph called, trying to keep the doors closed.

"I got it!" Donnie shouted, inserting the power cell into the motor.

The power cell glowed brightly, and the car zoomed away in high speed. The fource of the speed caused the boys and I to fall into the main door and scream. It felt like the car flew into hyper-speed. We had no idea where we were going. Donnie pulled on the breaks and the car stopped.

Raph and Donnie opened the doors and the feeling of the place did not feel like we were not in New York anymore.

"Where the heck are we?" Leo asked.

"According to my calculations..." Donnie began to answer.

I sniffed the air and finished for Donnie, "Sewage plant?"

"Wow. It's as beautiful as they say." Mikey said in awe.

I walked over to the motor and looked at the power cell. I smiled, "Wow, this power cell packs quite the punch."


	13. I, Monster

I, Monster (F.K.A: Rat Trap).

 **Eleanor's POV.**

Today's training was very new. The boys and I have to find a way to tag Uncle Splinter. It's going to be quite difficult, since Splinter is a master of ninjutsu and can turn the tides of the battle within a snap of your fingers. Leo, thought it would be easier to form a plan, to catch Uncle off-guard and go for the kill.

"Okay, here's the plan." Leo told us, then looked at Donnie, "Donnie, you're going to strike first."

"No, wait. You want me to come at Splinter?" Donnie asked, "I'll get pummeled."

"Well, getting pummeled is your specialty." Raph pointed out, earning a glare from Donnie.

Leo assured a smile, "Trust me. It's all part of my plan to catch Splinter off-guard."

"Uh, Leo, don't take this the wrong way, but against Splinter, your plans always get our butts whipped." Mikey pointed out.

Leo changed his mind, "Okay, new thought. Mikey, you attack."

Mikey looked at Donnie, "He took it the wrong way."

Raph spoke up, "Enough talk. Let's do this."

The boys and I circled around Uncle Splinter and Splinter took a stance. Mikey charged in first and tried a flying kick, but Uncle Splinter caught him, threw him to the ground and kicked him away. Raph tried a flying punch, while the rest of us charged toward him. Splinter was able to dodge our attacks, and threw Donnie into Raph. I dashed and intended a palm strike, but Uncle Splinter caught my hand and threw me across the dojo. Splinter aimed to strike Leo, but Leo dodged and punched Splinter in the face.

The other boys and I gasped. Leo was able to hit Uncle Splinter.

Leo gasped and tried to apologise, "Sensei, I'm sorry." Splinter looked at him, "I-"

Before Leo could finish his apology, Uncle Splinter grabbed his hand, threw him to the ground and prepared and finishing blow.

"Oh, man. Leo's a goner." Donnie grimaced.

"Oh, nodie dodie." Mikey smiled.

Uncle Splinter relaxed his stance and let go of Leo's hand, "Well done, Leonardo. But just when you had the advantage, you hesitated, and that made you vulnerable." He told his eldest son.

" **はい** **,** **先生** (Hai, Sensei/Yes, Teacher)." Leo said, as he got back to his feet.

"Now, that is all for today." Uncle Splinter told us, as he walked to his room, then he stopped at the doors, "Unless you care for a rematch."

"No, thanks." Donnie answered.

"I'm good." Mikey said with a smile.

"Yeah, I think we're all set here." Raph agreed.

Uncle Splinter entered his room and closed the doors behind him. The boys looked at Leo and smiled.

"Leo!" Mikey called, as they ran toward him.

Raph smiled and folded his arms, "Not bad."

"Dude, I can't believe you actually tagged Sensei. That was epic." Donnie exclaimed with a grin.

Mikey picked up Leo's right hand, "The hand that punched Splinter." Then he looked at Leo, "You know, you can never wash this again."

Leo smiled, "I gotta say, guys, it was all teamwork. We are definitely getting better."

"Think we might be catching up to Splinter?" Donnie asked.

"Yeah, maybe soon, we won't need him to train us at all." Mikey answered with a smile.

By that statement, I began to worry. Mikey can't say that, Uncle Splinter is their father. And they're too young.

The boys walked out of the dojo to do their own thing. I stayed in the dojo, polishing one of my katana blades. I checked the shine and saw my uncle's reflection behind me.

"Is something wrong, **伯父さん** (Oji-san/Uncle)?" I asked.

"You seem very skilled with your eskrima. I was wondering how skilled are you with your katanas?" Uncle Splinter answered, then asked me.

"I'm a tad bit rusty with the weapon. But, it's very similar to my eskrima sticks. Maybe you can help me sharpen my skills?" I answered, then asked Splinter with a smile.

This brought Sensei's smile back. He grabbed his own katana sword and we began training. Master Splinter and I exchanged blows with both of us blocked or countered. However, our training was cut short by a familiar voice echoing in the dojo.

 _ **"Join me, join me!"**_ The voice said.

I noticed Splinter's eyes turned red for a second, until he screamed in pain and began to collapse.

" **伯父さん**!" I cried in worry, dropping my blades and catching my uncle, when he fell to his knees.

His scream and my cry must have alerted the boys, because they showed up in the dojo and circled their father.

"Sensei, are you okay?" Donnie asked, as he ran in.

"I am fine." Uncle Splinter answered, with his hand over his forehead.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Leo asked, then pointed out, "You don't seem-"

Leo was cut off by the sound of fairytale fluttering music. It sounded like it was coming from Donnie's T-Phone.

"Hey, that's April's ring tone." Donnie identified. Raph and Mikey made kissing sounds, just to tease Donnie. I lightly giggled. Donnie answered his T-Phone, "Hey, April." Then tried a cool tone, "I mean, hey, April." And tried another, "I mean-" But he was cut off.

"Don't worry, April we're on our way." He said, then he hung up his phone. He looked at his brothers, "April is in trouble. We've gotta help her."

"Alright then." Leo agreed, then he looked at me, "Elle, we need you to stay here and keep an eye on Sensei."

I nodded in agreement, "You got it, Leo."

Before Splinter could protest, the boys were already gone. I helped Uncle Splinter to his feet and tried to get him to the lounge, so he could sit down.

I knelt in front of him, " **伯父さん** , tell me what's wrong. You wouldn't scream, if it was nothing."

Uncle Splinter looked at me and nodded, "I feel something trying to enter my mind. Trying to take control."

I thought for a second, must be that voice that we heard in the dojo. I dashed off to my uncle's room and grabbed his **tatami**. I laid it down on the ground, close to the waterway.

" **伯父さん** , I think you might be able to find out who's trying to control you, if you were asleep." I told Uncle Splinter.

He looked at me in slight confusion and worry.

"Don't worry. I'll be here with you. If it helps, I'll sleep next to you." I assured.

Uncle Splinter thought for a second, then nodded in agreement. I helped Splinter to his bedmat and laid him down. Sensei fell asleep and I felt the connection getting stronger. I tightly held Uncle Splinter's hand and I fell asleep, next to him, on the couch.

 _ **"Why fight it? You know in your heart you belong with the Rat King."**_ The voice spoke. The Rat King? Why does his voice sound so familiar?

In my dream state, I entered a dark and misty room. Uncle Splinter was there. For some reason, he couldn't see me. I looked at my hands and noticed I was ghost-like, and I was floating above him.

"Leave me. I am not one of your rats to control." Splinter told the voice.

A tall, zombie-like man, wearing a black coat, bandages over his eyes, and a black hat appeared, "You're right. You are so much more."

I finally was able to recognize the voice and the face, "Falco..." I hissed.

"We are so much more. And together, we will be unstoppable." Falco continued to persuade my uncle. I balled my hands into fists in anger.

"No. You and I are nothing alike." Uncle Splinter protested.

"Back off!" I shouted, trying to defend my uncle. But, I found out that I couldn't move. Well, I could move my body, but I can't go anywhere.

* * *

( **A/N: Whoa. David Tennant Doctor anyone? ^_^** )

* * *

Something was stopping me from physically helping.

"We've both lost all we held dear. We've both become outcasts from society." Falco said.

He showed an image of my uncle's past. The fire and the death and loss of his family. Tears threatened to well up in my eyes, but I fought them back.

"No! This is not right!" I shouted, trying make myself heard. However, my cries fell on deaf ears.

"And we've both come to see the world through the eyes of rats." Falco finished.

Uncle Splinter's eyes glowed red for a second, but he fought back, "No. I am a man. I am Hamato Yoshi."

"Not anymore." Falco finished. My blood boiled.

"LEAVE MY UNCLE ALONE!" I shouted in pure anger of Falco's actions.

Suddenly, Uncle Splinter, Falco and the dark room faded to a beautiful, Japanese garden scenery. I landed on the grass, and noticed I wasn't ghost-like anymore. The grass and the warm breeze felt so real, my mask tails flowed with the breeze.

I began looking around for Uncle Splinter and Falco, " **伯父さん**? Falco? Now, where am I?"

A sakura flower flew past me, brushing past my cheek. I rubbed my cheek, the flower felt real.

"This isn't my mind, or **伯父さん** 's." I concluded, then I called, "Hello? Anyone here?"

I looked across the koi pond and saw a beautiful, young woman of Chinese-Japanese descent, feeding the fish. Her hair was long and a shining black, her skin was beautifully tanned, and her eyes were a beautiful dark brown. She wore a sakura themed, white kimono with a blue obi and a combination of red, purple and orange strings to keep it tied around her. Around her neck was a choker like mine.

I walked closer and the woman saw me. She smiled and bowed, " **こんにちわ** **,** **若手蜥蜴** **.** (Kon'nichiwa, wakate no tokage/Hello, young lizard.)" Her voice was sweet and soft, with a calming chime to it.

" **K-k-** **こんにちわ** **.** (K-k-kon'nichiwa/H-h-hello.)" I bowed and slightly stuttered, until I was able to find my words, "Who are you? Why am I here?"

The woman lightly giggled, "I called you here." She walked toward me and went down to her knees, "I wish of a request from you, Hamato Eleanor."

My eyes widen in surprise. How did she know my name without me telling her? Does she know my uncle and mother? Now that I look at her, the woman looked very familiar to me. Where have I seen her face?

I regained my composure and asked, "What's wrong?"

The woman's smile fell to a sad look, "My husband has reached a very fragile place in his mind. I fear the one you may call 'The Rat King' will take him away from us."

She reached over and placed her hand over my cheek. Her hand was soft and gentle, like a mother's hand.

" **お願い** **.** (Onegai/Please.) You are the only one he deeply listens to. You must bring my husband back to his home. With you, my dear **姪** (Mei/Niece), and his sons." The woman asked me.

Then she stood up and the scenery began to fade away, like it was dissolving into the wind.

"Your husband?" I asked, but she didn't reply and walked away. "Wait! Who are you?" I called, and asked.

The woman said nothing. But tears fell from her cheeks and she smiled. The same smile from the woman in my dreams. Her tears flew toward me and formed into sakura petals. They landed in my hand and the scenery and the woman were gone. My form went ghost-like again. I looked at the petals that fell from my hand.

My eyes widen in shock as tears welled up in my eyes and one name came to me, "Tang Shen? **叔母さん** (Oba-san/Aunt)?"

I looked around and found myself back in Uncle Splinter's dream state. Falco was still trying to convince my uncle to join him

"We have evolved beyond humanity. We have no need for them, but we can help each other. Join me, and you shall hide below the surface no more." He told Uncle Splinter.

"No." Uncle Splinter said in a tired tone and tried to attack Falco, but he disappeared into the mist.

My uncle fell to his knees and started taking deep breaths. I was starting to get really worried about him. Falco is overpowering my uncle. He can't fight back for much longer.

" **伯父さん**!" I cried, reaching out my hand to him.

I looked at my hands and I was fading away. I was waking up. I closed my eyes and then opened them, to find myself back at the Lair, still laying on the couch and Uncle Splinter was still asleep.

What surprised me was that the boys were back, with April, and Mikey was poking Splinter with Donnie's staff. He was poking Splinter's mouth, making him look like he was talking.

"Michelangelo is awesome." Mikey said, in a fake Asian accent, then he continued in a deep voice, "He is the smartest, handsomest, butt-kicking-est of all my-"

I had enough and grabbed the staff. Now is not a good time to goof around. I threw Mikey away from Splinter and he landed near the toll gates.

"Sons." Mikey finished in a weak voice. Ooops, I must've thrown him too hard.

"This isn't a good time to goof around!" I told Mikey in serious tone.

I heard a light moan behind me. I looked and saw Master Splinter waking up.

" **伯父さん**." I called in worry, as I helped him back to his feet and gave Donnie his staff back.

Uncle Splinter looked at me, "Eleanor, where were you? I could not see you anywhere, but I heard you." He asked, then explained.

So, they could hear me, Falco was just blocking me out with his words.

"He was blocking me, **伯父さん**. **ごめんなさい** (Gomen'nasai/I'm sorry)." I explained, then apologised.

"Sensei, are you okay?" Leo asked.

"No, Leonardo. I am not. It would appear that your former adversary, Dr. Falco, has returned." Uncle Splinter answered, then explained. I helped him walk over to the dojo. He was weak from trying to fight Falco off.

"Falco's behind this? How is that possible?" Donnie asked.

"Somehow he has acquired a telepathic connection with every rat in New York. And he now calls himself 'the Rat King.'" Splinter explained.

Mikey groaned in annoyance, "Oh, great. So now we're letting the bad guys name themselves?" Then he added, "We gotta take him down."

Uncle Splinter nodded in agreement, "Yes, Michelangelo, you do. The Rat King will not rest until he has total control of this city - and my mind."

Splinter walked toward the shelf with lit candles and a photo of his family, when he was human.

"Sensei?" Leo asked in worry.

"Everything I knew is gone. My wife, my daughter, my clan..." Uncle Splinter began, looking at the photo, then looked at his own hand, "Even my humanity. You five are all I have left."

"Don't you worry, Sensei. We'll stop him." Raph assured.

"But we gotta find him first." Donnie pointed out.

"When the Rat King attempted to take control of me, I could see into his mind." Uncle Splinter informed us, then looked at us, "You will find his lair in an abandoned utility junction beneath Herald Square."

Raph smiled and punched his own hand, "Let's go play exterminator."

Uncle Splinter groaned in pain, as he clutched his forehead, fell to his knees and dropped the photo. Leo helped me help Uncle Splinter back to his feet.

"Fight him, Sensei." Leo told Splinter.

"I will. Just hurry." Uncle Splinter assured, then told us.

"It's okay, guys. You go after the Rat King. I'll stay with Sensei." April assured us, as she took Splinter to his room.

I looked down and picked up the photo of Uncle Splinter's family. The woman looked just like the woman from my dream visit, but her hair was in a bun. It was Tang Shen. And the baby girl. She looked so much like her mother, yet had her father's eyes.

Miwa...

Tears welled up in my eyes. But, I fought them back.

I got my ninja gear and the boys and I left the Lair to find Falco's lair. I lead the way, due to knowing where Herald Square was from the sewers. Determination and worry filled my heart.

I heard Leo ask from beside me, "Ellie, are you feeling alright? You've been awfully quieter than usual."

"I'm fine." I answered, then I looked at him with worried eyes, "I'm just worried about **伯父さん**. I saw what the Rat King can do to your mind." I shook my head, "It's not pretty."

We reached an empty tunnel and Mikey decided to break the silence.

"What's going to happen to Splinter if we can't stop the Rat King?" He asked, then added, "Which, by the way, lamest villain name ever."

"Let it go already." Donnie told Mikey.

"We're going to stop the Rat King, and Splinter's going to be fine." Raph assured, then looked at Leo, "Right, Leo?"

Before Leo could answer, a rat ran straight past us. Suddenly, the entire tunnel began to tremble. And a sound of rumbling began to increase in volume. Like it was coming toward us.

"Shh, quiet." I told everyone, then asked, "Do you guys hear that?"

Right on cue, a large wave of rats came charging toward us.

Raph groaned, "You gotta be kidding."

"Aw, ra-" Mikey was about to joke, but Raph stopped him.

"Uh, Leo, any ideas?" Donnie asked Leo.

"Just one. Move!" Leo answered.

The boys and I ran from the wave of rats, however they was getting closer. Using the tunnel walls, Leo, Raph, Donnie and I jumped and hang on to the ceiling pipelines. Mikey made a full jump, but some rats were able to crawl on to his leg. Mikey shook them off, but one rat was able to crawl onto his head and bit him.

"Ow!" Mikey yelped. The rat jumped off, and Mikey grimaced, "Oh, no. They've got the taste for turtle now."

"Come on. Just keep moving." Leo told us, as we continued our way through the tunnel.

 _ **"Why do you cling so hard to this life of yours?"**_ I heard Falco's voice speak in my head again.

I closed my eyes and entered Uncle Splinter's dream state again. Uncle Splinter was on his knees, slowly weakening.

"I am needed here." Uncle Splinter said, sounding weak as well.

"By whom?" Falco asked, then pointed out, "Even your so-called children have begun to outgrow you." He showed my uncle the event of Leo punching him in the face. Then, Falco reached out his hand to Uncle Splinter, "And soon, you will be all alone. Come, we are your family now."

Splinter's eyes glowed red for a second, then he shook his head and shouted, "No!"

Then everything faded away and went black.

The last thing I heard was Falco's voice whispering, _**"Come, my brother. Come to me now."**_

I clutched my forehead and lightly groaned in pain.

This must've caught Donnie's attention, because he asked, "Ellie, what's wrong?"

I removed my hand, as the pain went away and shook my head, "I-I don't think **伯父さん** can fight back much longer."

Then Mikey returned to his complaining about Falco's new name, "I'm just saying, I can think of a million better names than the 'Rat King'. There's 'Ratzilla', the 'Verminator', 'Lord Rattington'-"

I cut Mikey off, "Can it, Mikey!" Then, I told the others, "We're almost there. The utility chamber should be on the other side of that wall."

"Uh, you mean that disgusting, furry, squirming wall?" Raph asked.

We looked at saw that the wall was covered in sewer rats, that were trying to get through.

"How are we supposed to get past that?" Donnie asked.

I looked around and saw two yellow oil barrels. They were just close enough to the wall with enough force to clear it. An idea hit me, and I'm not gonna like it. I looked at Raph, "Raph, you see those barrels? Ventilate 'em." I told him.

Raph smiled, "You got it."

He threw two shuriken stars and they hit each barrel.

"Uh, Ellie, you do realize those chemicals are highly combustible." Donnie notified, reminding me on my fear of fire. Yeah, I'm afraid of fire, but as long as I keep my eyes covered, I'll be fine.

I lightly smirked, "You don't say." I put my bandana over my eyes and called to Leo, "Leo, cut those wires."

I heard his katana cut an electrical cord and then a loud explosion. The heat of the explosion faded, and I lowered my bandana back around my neck.

Leo smiled, "Let's move."

We entered the utility chamber. It was large, and looked like an abandoned chamber of pipes, cables and crumbling concrete. The boys and I saw Falco on the second floor above us.

"Ah, my turtle friends, we meet again." Falco greeted with a smiled, then he looked at me, "Who's your lizard friend?"

I said nothing, but glare at the telepath. The white rat, on Falco's shoulder, sniffed my scent and informed his master.

Falco came to a realization, "Eleanor? So, you were the voice that was interrupting my attempts."

I stayed silent.

"Except last time, Falco, you weren't wearing a sad Halloween costume." Raph joked on Falco's new look.

The other boys laughed at the joke.

"I am the Rat King!" Falco shouted.

Mikey faked a cough, "Lame."

"Sorry, we don't have any treats for you. But we've got a few tricks." Leo told Falco.

Then, April's ringtone on Donnie's T-Phone rang, breaking the tension.

"Way to ruin the moment, Donnie." Raph told Donnie.

Donnie answered his T-Phone, getting a glare from his brothers, "Uh, April, now's not really the best time."

There was a few seconds of silence, then Donnie spoke again, "What do you mean, 'gone'? Gone where?"

"Here." A familiar, deadpan voice spoke from around us.

The boys and I looked around as saw, from up the stairs, Uncle Splinter walked in. His eyes glowing red and had a hard stare at us. I felt my heart ache like it was being squeezed the life out of. Tears welled up in my eyes.

"No..." I whispered in dismay.

"What's wrong with him?" Raph asked.

"It's like his brain is completely turned off." Donnie answered.

"You mean like Mikey?" Raph and Mikey asked in perfect unison.

Mikey looked at Raph, "Dude, you are so predictable."

"Sensei, snap out of it." Leo shouted to Uncle Splinter.

"You waste your words. This is where I belong, with my brothers." Splinter told Leo in a deadpan tone.

I clutched my heart. I couldn't bare to see Splinter acting like this. He is my uncle, and the only member of my family left. He's close to a father to me. I tried to keep myself composed.

"He is mine now. Imagine my delight when I realized that controlling your master would not only make me invincible, but would also be the key to your demise." Falco told us, breaking my train of thought. His laugh echoed throughout the chamber, then he calmed down and ordered my uncle, "Splinter, destroy them."

Uncle Splinter looked at us and began slowly walking toward us.

"Sensei, don't!" Leo cried.

Leo's cry stopped Uncle Splinter in his tracks. He looked like he was trying to fight back. **伯父さん** was still in there somewhere. Falco removed his hat and bandages. They must act as a way to keep his telepathic powers under control. Uncle Splinter glared at us.

"Are we really going to do this?" Donnie asked, drawing out his staff.

"Remember, we did beat him once. Kind of." Raph answered, drawing his sais. Mikey and I followed suit.

"Yeah, and we can beat him again. We can do this, guys. Do not hesitate." Leo told us, drawing his katanas, then he instructed, "Take Sensei down."

All of us dashed toward Uncle Splinter and tried to attack him at once. But, somehow, we all missed him. Splinter appeared behind us and threw us all into a wall. Leo jumped out of the way, as Donnie came flying into the pipe with so much force, that his head reteated into his shell.

Donnie popped his head out and gasped, "I just had a horrible realization. He's been going easy on us all these years."

Focused, Donnie dashed toward Splinter and tried to jab him with his staff. But Uncle Splinter was too fast. Donnie aimed to whack Splinter, but Splinter used his sword to deflect the staff out of Donnie's reach and elbowed Donnie into the wall behind him.

"Donnie!" Mikey cried.

Mikey threw his kusarigama chain at Splinter, but Splinter dodged and the chain wrapped around his sword. He threw his sword down, which caused Mikey to by thrown into the wall in front of him with incredible force.

"Nobody hits Mikey but me." Raph shouted as he attacked, but he missed.

Uncle Splinter jumped over him and kicked Raph into the stairs. The last ones standing were Leo and I.

"Sensei, please." Leo pleaded, but his words fell on deaf ears.

Leo and Splinter dashed toward each other and got locked into combat. Leo and Uncle Splinter looked like they were even, however Splinter got the upper-hand and was able to throw Leo's katanas out of his hand and kicked him toward me.

"Leo!" I cried in worry.

I ran toward him and checked his vitals. He was alright. I stood up and stared at Uncle Splinter, then eyed at Falco. I couldn't let this madman take control of my family, or let his scheme get the better of me.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, calming my thoughts, then I heard Uncle Splinter dash behind me. I opened my eyes, blocked his attack and jumped back a bit. I was using my katanas this time, not my eskrima.

We got locked into combat and were shown to be evenly matched. I thought I might be able to talk to Splinter during the battle, so I tried.

"Miyamoto Usagi." I said, as I pushed Uncle Splinter a few feet from myself, "You asked me who taught me ninjutsu before you did." Master Splinter narrowed his eyes at me. "His name was Miyamoto Usagi. Your friend." I told him, "A white rabbit **浪人** (Rōnin/Masterless Samurai). I know you know him."

Splinter's eyes widen in surprise. Then he narrowed his eyes, and dashed toward me.

"He died protecting me from Shredder. Before he died, he told me to find you." I explained to Splinter, as we clashed blades. We locked blades and I looked deeply into my uncle's eyes, quoting, "'A man with wisdom you cannot see.'"

Splinter gave me a sad look. I was reaching to him. I took this opportunity and tripped Splinter with the Death Dragon Kata. While he was in the air, I punched him in the stomach, throwing him a few feet from me. Splinter fell on his back hard.

I gasped in disbelief. I hit my own uncle. I'm the second to actually hurt him.

Splinter got back up to his feet and his eyes hardened again. Being quicker than me, Splinter threw a fury of sword strikes at me. I struggled to dodge, counter and block. Our swords clashed and he threw my swords out of my hands, threw me on to my back and pinned me, aiming his sword to my face.

"Finish her." Falco told Splinter.

"Remember who you are." I told Uncle Splinter, showing his family photo to him, "Hamato Yoshi." Splinter hardened his glare at me, " **お願い** **,** **伯父さん** **.** (Onegai, Oji-san/Please, Uncle.) I know you're in there." I said, my voice cracking, "I made a promise to Tang Shen." Splinter's eyes soften at the mention of his wife's name, as I continued, "I'd bring you out of the darkness."

I could feel Uncle Splinter stare into my soul. His eyes soften and his angry expression turned into a sad look. He was hesitating to finish me off.

"Donnie, Raph, now!" I heard Leo call, as he, Raph, Donnie and Mikey tackled Splinter off me and pinned him to the ground. "Please, Father. We need you." Leo told his sensei.

Splinter looked at him, then at me.

"Don't listen to him, brother. Your place is with me." Falco told Splinter.

Splinter's eyes hardened, as he span and threw the boys off him. The boys landed all over the place. Splinter grabbed me, threw me to the ground, pinned me there and readied a finishing blow with one of Leo's katanas. I stared at my uncle, unfazed and calm, but tears welled up in my eyes.

Deep down, I felt like I broke my promise to Tang Shen, but I tried my best. My best just wasn't enough.

Splinter closed his eyes and spoke, "My place..." Then, his deadpan tone started to sound normal, "Is with my children."

Uncle Splinter opened his eyes, the red glow was gone. He let go of me and dashed toward Falco and performed and advanced technique that the force blew Falco into a wall. Falco fell to the ground and was out-cold.

The boys stared in amazment and then hugged their mentor, "Sensei!"

Master Splinter smiled in relief. The other sewer rats swarmed over Falco and carried him away.

"And that's the last we'll see of 'Count Ratula'." Mikey said with a smile. He looked at us, and we shook our heads. Mikey sighed, "Yeah, all right. It's 'Rat King'. But I'm naming the next one."

* * *

 _ ***Later, back at the Lair.***_

The boys, Master Splinter and I made our way back to the Lair. The boys went off to do their own thing. Uncle Splinter went into the dojo to meditate. I still felt worried for Splinter. Falco really did a number on the man's psyche. So, I had to check on him.

" **伯父さん** , are you sure you're okay?" I asked, walking into the dojo.

Uncle Splinter stood up and assure me with a smile, "I am fine, thanks to you." He walked over to me and placed his hand over my shoulder, "You did well, my child."

I couldn't help but smile back and threw my arms around him. Relief washed over my worries like sand.

"Well, you did hesitate." Leo spoke up from behind me, "And hesitation leads to vulnerability." He finished with a smile. I released the hug and giggled.

"We did pretty good, too, huh?" Mikey asked, popping out from one of the entrances, and accompanied by Raph and Donnie.

"Yes. I am proud of you all." Uncle Splinter smiled.

Leo shrugged, "Who knows, maybe one day we'll be even better martial artist than you."

"Remember my son, everything you know I've shown you." Uncle Splinter told Leo, then he grabbed Leo's arm and threw him into the nearest wall, "But I have not shown you everything I know." Splinter finished, walking toward his room.

"It's great to have you back, Sensei." Leo said in a weak and pain-filled tone.

Uncle Splinter and I chuckled. It's good to have this family back to normal.


	14. New Girl in Town

New Girl in Town.

 **Eleanor's POV.**

Hello again viewers. Sorry, but you caught the boys and I at a really bad time. Snakeweed is back and he's abducting people from around the streets. We just caught him red-handed, or clawed, or pincered, whatever. And now we're chasing him down the streets, trying to take him down and stop him for good.

However, being 12 foot tall has its advantages, such as being a bit faster. The boys and I were able to block him on one end of the street, but he ran the other way. As Snakeweed ran down the street, he took the teen that delivered the pizza to the Lair.

"No! Not the pizza guy! Take Donnie!" Mikey shouted.

"Snakeweed's getting away!" Donnie shouted, glaring at Mikey.

Snakeweed kept running down the street. The pizza guy screamed, "Somebody help me!" As he and Snakeweed turned a corner, into a dead-end alley way. The boys and I stopped at the corner.

"We've got him trapped." Leo told us.

"Good." Raph smiled, then drew his sais, "Then let's go weed-whacking!"

"Tree-trimming!" Donnie included, drawing his staff.

"Thorn cutting!" I smiled, drawing my eskrima sticks.

"Gardening!" Mikey shouted, then smiled, "Boom!" He laughed and said with grin, "Oh, yeah. Mikey put the sprinkles on that sundae."

Raph sighed and began walking to the corner, "Let's go!"

Leo stopped Raph with a hand over his shoulder, "Hang on, Raph. We're not charging a 12 foot, regenerating Mutant."

"Then what are we doing?" Raph asked.

"We'll take Snakeweed from above." Leo answered, then pointed to the clotheslines, "Tie him up in the clotheslines."

I smiled at the idea. One thing I noticed about Snakeweed, unless you make a noise, he never looks up.

Leo smiled at me, then began climbing the building, "Come on."

"That'll take forever, and we have to stop Snakeweed now! I mean, he's kidnapping people." Raph argued, then pointed out.

"Not just people, people who bring pizza." Mikey added.

"We take him from above. Let's move!" Leo shot, then told us.

Raph sighed, and the rest of us followed Leo to the top of the building. We dashed toward to edge of the alley.

Leo looked at us, "On my count." He slowly drew out his katanas, "One, two-"

We all drew our weapons and looked over the alley. Snakeweed was nowhere to be seen.

"Where'd he-" Leo began to ask, but was speechless in shock and wonder.

"He must've ran off when he heard us." I concluded.

"And the award for worst leader goes to..." Raph announced, looking at Leo.

"How am I the worst leader?" Leo asked.

"If we did this my way, Snakeweed would be toast by now." Raph answered, starting another argument.

Mikey lightly moaned in disgust, "That'd be some nasty toast."

Donnie moved Mikey back, and I followed him. This isn't gonna be pretty.

"This way would've worked, if you hadn't wasted time second-guessing my orders." Leo pointed out.

"Don't give bad orders, and I won't second-guess 'em." Raph argued.

"You know what, Raph? If you think you could do better, why don't you lead?" Leo asked in frustration.

"First good idea you've had all day." Raph agreed.

Leo and Raph glared at each other. You could see sparks of sibling rivalry between the two.

Mikey interrupted, "We'll compromise. I'll lead."

Leo and Raph glared at Mikey with a 'stay-out-of-this' look. Mikey retreated back to Donnie and I.

"Fine, Raph, the team's yours. I'm out of here." Leo snapped, then walked off.

"Leo." I softly called, reaching out my hand to him.

But I was stopped by Donnie. He put his hand over my shoulder, I looked at him and Donnie shook his head.

"I can't believe he's gone." Mikey sighed with a sulk.

"Aw, don't worry, Mikey. Leo, uh... He just needs some space." Donnie assured. Mikey gave him a look. "You meant the pizza guy, didn't you?" Donnie asked.

"Yeah." Mikey answered with a small nodd.

Raph smiled, "Alright. First order with me as leader, we go back to the Lair and find Snakeweed's lair."

The boys dashed off, following Raph. I folded my arms, looked back where Leo dashed off, then sighed and followed the boys. Something bad is gonna happen. I can feel it in my bones. I just hope I'm wrong.

* * *

 ***Meanwhile, elsewhere.***

 **Leonardo's POV.**

I jumped over the rooftops, hoping to find a way to blow off some steam. However, it wasn't working very well. Raph had some nerve saying things like that. Does he think being a leader is easy? Ha! I'd like to see him try and be a better leader than me. Just thinking about the scenerio got me more frustrated. So frustrated, that I kicked an air ventlation lid off its hinges.

I jumped over to another rooftop, with a billboard, and looked over the streets. I felt a tug at the back of my head, telling me I wasn't alone. I turned, drawing my katanas and saw a small group of Foot Ninjas.

"Foot clan?" I asked, and lightly smiled, "You guys just made my night." The ninjas dashed toward me. And I made easy quick work of them. I sighed in relief, some of the frustration was off my shoulders, "I feel so much better."

I heard a metallic thud and saw a kunoichi on top of the billboard. It wasn't Samantha. This kunoichi was human and much younger. The kunoichi jumped down and smiled under her mask.

"Not bad." She said.

"Uh, thanks?" I said, not sure what to say.

"You might actually be a challenge." The kunoichi said.

She quickly drew her sword and threw blinding powder over my eyes. Some of the powder managed to sneak into my throat, causing me to cough. The kunoichi took the opportunity, dashed toward me and was able to pin me over the edge of the roof.

"Guess not." She said. Then the kunoichi removed her mask and introduced herself, "My name's Karai. See you around."

And with that, she was gone. When the kunoichi, Karai, had me pinned, I got a good look at her. She was a beautiful girl of Japanese descent. Her hair was a dark brown with dyed blonde underside, and her eyes were amber-brown. Something about her made me feel similar to how Ellie makes me feel. My heart did beat faster, but I didn't feel my cheeks warm up.

I picked myself up and wondered, "What was that?"

But, I didn't have time to think it over. The blinding power was really irratating my eyes. So, I quickly made my way back to the Lair, so I could recover.

* * *

 _ ***Back at the Lair.***_

 **Eleanor's POV.**

The boys and I returned to the Lair and we entered Donnie's lab. Using a map of the city, and radio signals, Donnie and I began to pinpoint Snakeweed's sightings. The sightings would help with estimating the location of Snakeweed's lair.

"Donnie, Elle, we have to find Snakeweed's lair." Raph reminded us.

"Working on it." Donnie told Raph.

"Pinpointing a pattern of locations is not easy, Raph." I pointed out.

"Then work faster!" Raph shouted.

Donnie looked at Raph, "Do you think yelling is gonna help?"

"No, I think hitting is gonna help." Raph answered, cracking his knuckles.

"I'll work faster." Donnie said in a squeaked tone, quickly scribbling more circles.

Raph smiled, "That's the spirit."

I gave Raph a silent glare, but the sound of the door being open snapped me out of it. The boys and I looked and saw Leo entering the lab, rubbing his eyes.

"Leo's back." Mikey announced. Leo looked at us, his eyes were bloodshot. "And he's been crying." Mikey noted, then he ran over and gave Leo a hug, "Aw, you missed us."

Leo pried Mikey off. I gave Leo a worried look, "Leo, what happened?"

"I got hit with blinding powder." He answered.

"Sure. Big softy." Mikey said in a fake convinced tone.

"And where have you been?" Raph asked, folding his arms.

"Don't see how that's your business." Leo answered.

Raph scoffed, "Fine. Whatever."

"Dudes, can't we just be cool with each other?" Mikey asked, trying to play peacekeeper. He pulled Leo and Raph into a hug with him, "Let's hug this out." However, Raph elbowed him in the abdomin. "Okay. Now the healing can begin." Mikey finished in a pained tone.

"Hey, I think Ellie and I figured out where Snakeweed's hideout is." Donnie announced, getting Leo's attention.

"Where?" Leo asked.

I lightly smiled, and pointed at the diagram, "Well, the radial pattern of recent Snakeweed sightings indicates his lair is at the epicenter of 47th and-"

Raph cut me off, "Actually, you're on a need-to-know basis. And guess what. You don't need to know."

Leo gave Raph a sharp glare, 'hmph'ed and left the lab.

I glared at the red-masked turtle, "Not cool, Raph."

"You heard Leo. He wants no business in this!" Raph pointed out.

"That doesn't mean that he doesn't need to know!" I argued, folding my arms, "It's your fault he made you leader. You have no experience in the field. What if something goes wrong and Leo's not there?"

My words struck a nerve in Raph's head, as he glared at me, "Playing favorites, huh?"

I hardened my glare at him, "And what if I am?"

Raph and I had a staredown, but I broke it by walking out of the lab.

I closed the doors behind me and tried to hold in my frustration. Every time Raph acts like this, it just makes me want to punch him in the face and tell him to shut up. I guess this is how it's like to have an older brother with a short temper.

I hate to admit it, but it's funny, adorable and it feels like it's filling an empty hole in my heart. Where Sam is meant to be.

I took a couple of deep breaths and calmed down my frustration. I looked across and saw Leo watching Space Heroes. I sat next to him and watched. Tonight's episode was about where some rushed relationships can lead to.

It took place in the spaceship, within the portal room. Captain Ryan was kissing a female, blue alien.

The alien broke the kiss, "We shouldn't be together, Ryan. It's against your fleet protocol." She told Captain Ryan.

"Well, Celestial, you don't get to be captain of the Dauntless by following all the rules." Captain said with a smirk.

The alien, Celestial, smiled, "Good." Then, she aimed a laser gun at Captain Ryan, "Then you won't mind giving me the codes."

Captain Ryan's smile faded to a sad look, "Celestial, you just broke my heart." He pressed a switch and Celestial disappeared in an aura of light. "But my disintegrator still works." Captain Ryan finished. He looked down and saw that Celestial's boots were all that was left. He picked up the boots, "At least I'll have these to remember her by." Captain Ryan hugged the boots and began sobbing.

"Boy, relationships are complicated." Leo commented, turning down the volume.

"You're telling me." I agreed.

Uncle Splinter walked up behind us and asked, "Leonardo, Eleanor, where are your brothers?"

"I have no idea." Leo answered, not looking away from the TV.

"What do you mean you have no idea?" Splinter asked.

"Raph thinks he can lead the team better than me, so I let him." Leo answered in a still upset tone.

"That is not your decision to make." Uncle Splinter told Leo.

Leo looked at Sensei, "Why not, Sensei?" He stood up and explained out of frustration, "I've had to make every other decision, and I'm tired of it. Those guys have no idea what kind of pressure I'm under, and all they do is complain." Then he asked, calming down, "Is it too much to ask for a simple thank-you?"

Leo rant struck a nerve in my memory. It must've hit a nerve in Uncle Splinter, cause his grip on his cane tightened.

"Of course it is!" Uncle Splinter and I answered, with Splinter hitting the ground with his cane.

"Leadership is not about being appreciated. It is about responsibility." Uncle told Leo.

"Leo, It doesn't matter that the burden is heavy. It matters that you carry it. To be honest, you're a better leader than Raph. You know how to be calm during a tough situation. Raph's... He's too proned to his emotions and thinks irrationally." I explained to Leo, then I asked him, "Do you understand?"

Leo thought for a second, then nodded.

"Now go find your brothers." Uncle Splinter told his eldest son. With that said, he walked off into the dojo.

Leo looked at me, "You go, Elle. I still need time to cool off."

I nodded and left the Lair to catch up with the other boys.

* * *

 _ ***Later, in the City.***_

 **Leonardo's POV.**

I wondered around the streets, cooling myself off the frustration. It really helped, and now, I was thinking about what Sensei and Ellie said.

"What if I don't want the burden?" I wondered. Then I thought further into it. Maybe Ellie and Sensei were right.

Ellie does make a valid point on one thing; I do know how to keep calm in a tough situation. Raph is a hot-head and sometimes doesn't know what he's talking about. I looked around and saw the guys were nowhere in sight, "Where are those guys?" I wondered, then recapped on what Ellie said before Raph cut her off, "Elle said something about 47th and, uh..."

My train of thought was broken as a familiar, female voice spoke from behind me, "You always talk to yourself?"

I turned and saw Karai. Was she following me?

I smiled, "Sometimes I'm the only one who'll listen."

She smiled, "I'll listen, when you beg for your life." She drew out her sword.

I drew out one of my katanas and smirked, "Let's see how well you do against someone who can see."

Karai smirked back, "Let's see how well you do against someone who's better than you."

"Let's see how well you do against..." I tried to fire back, but I couldn't think of anything, so I shook my head and regained myself, "Let's just go."

Karai and I performed the traditional battle greeting, then Karai jumped toward me. I was able to block her and I tried to strike back. We were quite evenly matched. Karai tried a technique, but I blocked jumped out the way.

" **十字拳** (Juji-ken/Cross Fist). Interesting." I identified and commented of the technique.

I tried a technique of my own, and Karai just jumped away from it.

She smirked, " **蝴蝶切り** **.** (Kocho-giri/Butterfly cut.) Predictable."

We clashed sword and were evenly matched. Karai jumped away a few feet from me.

"You're good. No wonder we haven't wiped you out yet." She complimented.

I smiled, "It's not like Shredder hasn't been trying."

"I know." Karai nodded in agreement, "It's all he ever talks about. 'Revenge, revenge, vendetta, vendetta.'"

"Really? I take it you don't approve." I asked.

"No, I'm fine with it. I'm just saying, he needs a hobby." She answered, then charged toward me again.

I dodged, and then Karai decided to pick up the pace as she tried to trip me over or catch me off-balance. I was able to keep up, until she caught me off-balance and kicked me in the mouth.

"Not bad, but I've seen better." She smiled.

I smiled back, "With one blade, maybe, not with two."

I drew out my other katana and we resumed with our battle.

* * *

 _ ***Meanwhile, back in the Sewers.***_

 **Eleanor's POV.**

I was able to catch up with the boys. Donnie was leading us toward Snakeweed's lair. We reached the... uh... *ahem* depository part of the sewers. You can tell by the way it smells.

"Man, it really stinks around here." Mikey complained about the smell of the place.

"It is a sewer, Mikey." Raph reminded Mikey.

"I mean more than usual." Mikey pointed out. He inhaled, then sighed in digust and wondered, "Where does all this stuff come from anyway?"

Donnie, Raph and I looked at each other.

Donnie took it upon himself to explain to Mikey, "Uh, Mikey, it's, um-"

He whispered it in Mikey's ear and Mikey flipped out a bit.

"What? Don't they know we're living down here?" Mikey exclaimed. I tried to suppress my giggles at his expression.

"Keep it down, guys." Raph told us.

"Wow. You sound just like Leo." Donnie commented.

"You say that one more time, and I'll shove your head in this sewage." Raph threatened Donnie, sounding like himself.

"And now you sound like you again." Donnie commented again.

We entered Snakeweed's lair. To our amazment, it was a large chamber with multiple towering, what looked like, plant pods or cauldrons. Whichever way you look at them.

"Whoa." Mikey gasped.

"My words exactly." I said.

Donnie came it, with his eyes still stuck on the map, "Come on. Snakeweed's lair should be around here somewhere."

Raph looked at his brother, "You don't say."

I shook my head, and lowered the map from Donnie's sight.

He looked at me, then looked around. Raph, Mikey, Donnie and I took a look around and into the pods. As we looked, a human face emerged. Donnie, Mikey and I gasped at the sight.

"And he's growing humans." Mikey concluded.

"He's not growing 'em, shellbrain. He's holding 'em captive." Donnie corrected.

"For what? He's a plant. He can't eat 'em." Raph asked, then pointed out.

I dipped my finger into the pod and analysed the substance. It was bio-degradable and acid-like. Stay in this too long and human tissue will decompose into mulch. "He's probably turning them into fertilizer." I answered.

Mikey groaned in disgust, then asked, "Is that really where fertilizer comes from?"

Donnie lightly smiled, "Actually, most fertilizer comes from-" Then he whispered the last part in Mikey's ear.

"What? Is there anything that doesn't come from that?" Mikey exclaimed again.

I lightly chuckled, "It was very usefull in back in the Middle Ages."

Mikey stuck his tongue out in digust. I giggled.

"Enough. Let's cut 'em loose." Raph told us, as he cut a pod open.

Mikey, Donnie and I picked the victims from the pods, while Raph just cut them open. Once we got all the victims free, we hid behind the other pods, to be sure we weren't seen. The last two victims left the lair in a dizzy hobble. I smiled in relief.

"Not only was that a job well done, it was a job well done without Leo." Raph said with a smile.

Unfortunately our celebration was cut short, due to Snakeweed appearing and shouting, "My fertilizer!"

Mikey looked at Raph, "What now, boss?"

Raph drew his sais and shouted, "Take him down!"

And we dashed to take Snakeweed out.

* * *

 _ ***Meanwhile, in the City.***_

 **Leonardo's POV.**

Karai and I were continuing our fight. It reached to the fire escape of the apartment building.

"You know what? I don't think you're as bad as you pretend to be." I told Karai.

"Oh? What part of swinging a sword at your head do you not understand?" Karai asked.

I chuckled, "On the rooftop, you could have finished me, but you didn't."

"Because you're the first thing in this city that doesn't bore me." Karai answered.

Then she threw shuriken stars at me. I easily blocked. Using the stairs, Karai tried a swinging kick, but I dodged and jumped back a bit.

"Besides, I don't think you're as good as you pretend to be." She told me. I blocked her next attack, but she backfired my block with her sword near my throat.

"Don't tell me the goody-three-toes thing doesn't wear thin after a while." Karai asked me.

"Better than the alternative." I answered.

"Which is what? To have fun? To cut loose? To live your own life?" She asked. Her words struck a nerve in my mind. I elbowed Karai away from me, causing her to drop her weapon, and I aimed my katana at her face.

Karai smiled, "Guess I struck a nerve."

I scoffed, "Because I beat you?"

Suddenly, Karai had me pinned and she aimed a knife at my face. She released me and pointed her knife over her right shoulder, "You see that high-rise?"

I looked and noticed she was talking about the Byerly Building, "Yeah." I answered.

"Meet me there at midnight." She told me, picking up her weapons.

"Why?" I asked.

"I want to show you something." She answered. And just like that, she was gone.

I wasn't sure what to do at that point. I have to talk to someone about this. See what they think. I can't tell my brothers, or Sensei. I'm sure they'll flip and forbid me from talking to Karai again, like before. I could tell Ellie, but I don't know where she is. I guess there's only one alternative left; April.

* * *

 _ ***Meanwhile, back at Snakeweed's Lair.***_

 **Eleanor's POV.**

The boys and I were NOT doing well against Snakeweed. Raph kept telling us the same thing; Go for the head. And everytime, we were either smacked away, thrown away or have our attack backfired.

"Wow! We're totally losing!" Mikey shouted.

"Really? I hadn't noticed." Raph said in a sarcastic tone.

"Then get your head in the game, bro. You're supposed to be the leader!" Mikey told Raph.

Donnie tried to attack Snakeweed from above, but Snakeweed caught him and threw him toward his brothers.

I tried dashing head-on and try to catch him off, but he saw me coming, grabbed me and threw toward the boys.

"Get back in there!" Raph told Donnie.

"And do what?" Donnie asked.

"Go for the head." Raph answered. I sighed. Again with the head thing.

"I just did." Donnie shouted.

"Do it better." Raph retorted.

"Great. Four times in a row he'll never see that coming!" Donnie shouted.

He dashed toward Snakeweed, but Snakeweed out-manuvered him and thew him into a wall. I growled, as my frustration returned. I conjoined my eskrima sticks into a staff and dashed around Snakeweed, trying to distract him.

"Now what, chief?" Mikey asked Raph.

"Go... for the head." Raph answered hesitantly.

Mikey smiled, "Fifth time's a charm."

Mikey dashed toward Snakeweed, but Snakeweed saw him coming. He grabbed Mikey, swung him around and threw him across the lair. Mikey rolled across the ground, then hit his head into the wall. He hit it really hard.

"Mikey!" Raph and I cried in worry.

Raph dashed toward Mikey's aid. Snakeweed turned his attention to Raph. Donnie and I kept his attention on us.

"Raph, little help here!" Donnie shouted to Raph.

"Just hold him off." Raph told us.

Donnie and I worked as a team and kept Snakeweed's attention to us. Raph tried to wake Mikey up, but nothing worked. Snakeweed got a good grip on our staffs.

"Mikey's down." Raph told us.

"So what do we do now, Raph?" Donnie asked.

Raph said nothing. This made me worry. I looked over my shoulder and Raph looked like he froze from the pressure.

"Raph!" I called, but my voice reached deaf ears.

"I'll smash you rotten turtles into the ground." Snakeweed told us. As he tried to pound us with his pincer.

I sighed, "Oh, **の愛のために** (No ainotameni/For the love of) **...** " I looked at Donnie, "Donnie, follow my lead!" Donnie looked at me, "Tangle him up!"

Donnie nodded. He and I went opposite directions, jumped over Snakeweed's head and tied both his pincers behind two strong, iron pipes. Snakeweed tried to attack us, but he realized he was stuck.

Donnie looked at me and smiled, "Good thinking, Ellie."

I smiled back, then looked at Raph, who was still frozen in fear.

I walked over to him, "Raph!" I placed my hands over his shoulders and began shaking sense into him, "We don't have much time before he grows back. Let's grab Mikey and get out of here! Now!" I told him.

Raph looked at me, blushed for a second, then nodded his head. With Donnie's help, Raph picked up Mikey and we made our way back to the Lair.

We could still hear Snakeweed shouting, "I'm coming for you, Turtles! You hear me? I'm coming for you!"

* * *

 _ ***Meanwhile, in the City, April's Apartment.***_

 **Leonardo's POV.**

I made my way to April's apartment, and knocked on her bedroom window.

"April. April?" I called as I knocked.

I saw April walk to her window and saw me, "Leo?" She recognised, as I waved. April open the windows, "This better be good."

"Hey. I need to talk." I greeted, then told her.

"Can it wait till morning?" April asked, rubbing her eyes.

I twiddled with my fingers bashfully, "I met this girl."

This caught April's attention, as she smiled, "Tell me everything."

"Well, she's really cool." I began, April nodded, telling me to continue, "She's also a martial artist." April nodded again, "And, uh she's in the Foot clan." I finished.

April's smile fell and she hit me with a rolled-up magazine, "Are you crazy?"

"April, she's different. She's-" I tried to explain, but April cut me off, "In the Foot clan."

I nodded, "Yeah, but she's-" And she cut me off again, "In the Foot clan!"

I sighed, "Look, I know I shouldn't be hanging out with her."

"Yeah. You got that right. You know why?" April glared and asked, the shouted, "'Cause she's in the Foot clan!"

"April, she's fun, and I'm tired of being the responsible one." I explained to her, then I asked, "When do I get to have fun?"

April sighed, seeing my point, and asked, "So what does she want from you?"

"I don't know. I'm meeting her later at the Byerly Building. She's got something planned." I informed her.

April nodded her head, "Yeah, like pushing you off the Byerly Building." Then she warned me, "It's a trap, Leo."

I shook my head, "I don't think so. There's good in her. I know there is. I can feel it."

April sighed again, "I hope you're right."

And she closed the window. This made me think more about what Karai has planned. What would Ellie say, if I spoke to her about this? I guess she would say; 'Keep an open mind, Leo. Go see her and see where it goes from there.' Well, that settles it.

* * *

 _ ***Back at the Lair.***_

 **Raphael's POV.**

Elle, Donnie and I entered the Lair with Mikey still out-cold.

"Help!" I cried.

Master Splinter heard me and entered the Lounge.

"Set him down." Sensei told Donnie and I.

We put Mikey on the couch. Ellie placed Mikey's head over a cushion. Master Splinter sat beside Mikey.

"Where is Leonardo?" He asked.

"I don't know." I answered, then I tried my best to explain what happed, "Sensei, this is a disaster, and it's all my fault. I don't know what happened. I just froze up. I mean, I have no problem risking my own life, but risking my brothers?"

Master Splinter and Ellie checked on Mikey's condition.

Ellie sighed in relief, "He has a minor concussion. He'll be alright." She thought for a second, then she looked at us, "Wait here for a minute. I'll be right back."

She walked off into the kitchen.

Master Splinter looked at me, "Now you see the price of leadership; responsibility."

I nodded, "Yeah, I hate it."

"So you understand Leonardo's burden?" Sensei asked.

I nodded in agreement. What was I thinking? Ellie was right, I have no experience being the leader. As much as I hate to admit it, Leo and Ellie make better leaders than I do. They know how to keep a level-head when the going gets tough. A good leader is a leader that knows when to keep their cool and make the right choices.

I looked at Sensei, "We need him back. I need him back."

Sensei nodded, "Then go get him." Then, he walked off.

"But, Sensei, I don't know where he is." I pointed out.

"He's going to the Byerly Building." Donnie informed. I looked at him with a raised brow.

Donnie lifted his T-Phone, "April texted me." He answered, then realized what he said, "April texted me." Then he cheered, "Oh, this is the best day!" And Mikey's groaning broke the moment, "Well, I mean, it's had its ups and downs."

Ellie walked into the Lounge with a two-handed cup full of pink-purple paste, "Raph and I will look for Leo and bring him back. You keep an eye on Mikey, Donnie."

"How do I do that?" Donnie asked.

Ellie gave Donnie the cup, "Here, apply this on Mikey's forehead." She demonstrated by dipping her finger into the paste and spread it over Mikey's forehead, "The scent and moisture will reduce the damage. If it gets dark and dry, gently peel it off and replace it."

Donnie looked at Ellie and nodded. Ellie got her double-bladed staff and she and I left the Lair to find Leo at the Byerly Building.

* * *

 _ ***In the City, near the Byerly Building.***_

 **Leonardo's POV.**

I arrived at the building, where Karai told me to meet her. She was pacing when I arrived.

"I was beginning to think you were a no-show, but you don't disappoint." Karai said, when she noticed my presence.

"So what's this about?" I asked.

Karai threw a pair of binoculars at me, I caught them, then she pointed at a certain window in the Byerly Building, "That."

I looked through the binoculars and saw a black katana in a glass case. I recognized the sword, "That's the sword of Miyamoto Musashi."

Karai smiled, "The greatest swordsman in the history of Japan. It's ancient. It's priceless." Then, she added, "And it's yours. If you help me."

I looked at her, "Do what?"

Karai looked at me, "You know what. We're going to steal it."

What? Steal Miyamoto Musashi's priceless katana? I shook my head, "No, we're not."

"Come on, that sword is just sitting there, collecting dust. You know you deserve that katana certainly more than some lazy rich guy." Karai pointed out, then she looked at me again, "Stop being responsible, Leo. Stop waiting for people to give you the life you want. Go out and take it."

I can't take the sword. Relics are relics for a reason. I want no part of this scheme, "No."

Karai's smile dropped as she stood up, "I'm getting that sword, Leo, with or without you. Choose."

I stood up, looked at her and shook my head again, "I can't. It's wrong."

"You're starting to bore me." Karai said, aiming to draw her sword.

I stopped her by grabbing her hand, "Karai, you don't have to do this."

Karai smiled again, "I know. That's what makes it fun!"

Suddenly, Karai had me pinned to the ground. Within no time, Raph showed up. Perfect timing.

"Leo! Wha- what are you doing? Who's she?" Raph said, then asked noticing Karai.

"Um... Uh, Raph, Karai. Karai, Raph." I struggled to introduce the two.

If this wasn't awkward enough, Ellie showed up. She looked at Raph, "Raph, you really need to-" Then she looked at Karai, "Karai?"

Karai smiled, "Wow, Shen. You've really changed over the years."

Ellie narrowed her eyes, "When your relatives are Mutant Turtles, it sort of rubs off on you."

Wait, Ellie and Karai know each other? Of course, Karai is of the Foot Clan, and Ellie was a member as well. If they didn't know each other, something would be wrong.

* * *

 **Eleanor's POV.**

Raph and I just arrived to see that Leo was being pinned by my old friend in the Foot, Karai. Raph was not happy to see this. To be honest, neither was I.

"What are you, friends with her?" Raph asked. Karai let Leo go, so he could stand up. Raph continued, "We're out there risking our necks, and you're up here, holding hands with the Foot!"

I glared at Raph and tapped his forehead with tip of my staff, "Seriously, Raphael?!"

"I can explain." Leo said hesitantly. I raised an eyebrow. Does Leo _like_ Karai or something? Bad choice, Leo. I know her, and she can't be trusted.

Karai smirked, "This should be entertaining."

"You see, Karai and I share an appreciation for the fine craftsmanship of-" Leo tried to explain, until he stopped.

Raph and I looked behind us and saw Snakeweed. How did he find us so fast? He must have tagged us or something.

"I found you, Turtles." Snakeweed growled.

Leo sighed in relief, "Oh, thank goodness."

Leo, Raph and I drew our weapons and Snakeweed roared at us.

Raph looked at Leo, "All is forgiven. You're the leader again. Welcome back."

Leo, Raph and I tried attacking Snakeweed, but our attempts either grew back or backfired on us. Leo looked at Karai. Karai was doing nothing, but watch, as she usually does. Typical.

However, Snakeweed took this opportunity to bind Leo, who dropped his weapons, and try to throw him into the ground. Leo held on the doorway entrance. Snakeweed hung Raph up-side down and aimed to snap his head. And the Mutant plant had me bound to the ground, by his foot on my back.

Leo looked at Karai again, "Karai! Karai, please! Help!" He called.

Karai smiled, and threw her knife above Leo's head, " **さようなら** (Sayōnara/Goodbye)." Then she vanished.

My eyes widened. Did she just help us? That's new.

Leo took the knife, cut himself free and kicked Snakeweed in the face. The attack caused Snakeweed to stumble back and let go of Raph and I.

"Raph, Ellie, follow me. I got an idea." Leo told us.

"You're the boss." Raph answered.

Raph, Leo and I jumped down the fire escape and landed in an empty alley. Snakeweed landed in front of us and continued attacking us. Since Snakeweed blocked the path, Leo's idea went cold. Cold... Hmmm...

Raph looked at Leo, "Now what?"

Leo shrugged his shoulders, and looked at me, "Any ideas?"

I looked over Snakeweed and saw a batch of ice-blue painted nitrogen tanks. An idea hit me, "We charge him."

Raph looked at me, "Really?"

I looked at Raph, "Trust me."

Leo nodded, "Let's move."

Leo, Raph and I charged toward Snakeweed and Leo was able to gain some altitude and kicked Snakeweed in his heart-cage. Snakeweed was temporarily blinded by pain.

I looked at Leo, "Leo, the nitrogen tanks!"

Leo looked, saw the tanks, looked at me and nodded in understanding. He charged toward the batch of tanks, while Raph and I distracted Snakeweed. With a little bit of agility and teamwork, Raph and I were able to get the advantage and kick Snakeweed in the face. The force caused Snakeweed to fall a few feet from Leo.

During all this, I couldn't help but feel like Leo, Raph and I were being watched. I looked around to see anything out of the ordinary. I couldn't see anything. But, I did sense a familiar aura. I narrowed my eyes and returned to the fight.

Leo threw a nitrogen tank at Snakeweed, to get his attention. He tried to get another tank into Snakeweed's mouth, but Snakeweed saw it coming. Raph and I tried to distract Snakeweed, but he threw us off and turned his attention back to Leo. He threw the nitrogen tanks away and picked up Leo, who hid the last nitrogen tank behind his shell. Snakeweed roared, giving Leo the chance to throw the tank into his mouth. Leo gave Snakeweed a final kick, to make sure the tank stays there.

Leo looked at Raph, "Raph! Now!"

Raph nodded and threw one of his sais at the tank. The tank exploded into to strong cryo-vapor. Once the vapor faded, Snakeweed was frozen solid. Raph climbed up Snakeweed and yelled, "Booyakasha!"

Raph dove and his other sai shattered Snakeweed into tiny pieces, like glass.

Leo and I joined Raph and Raph smiled, "Nice work."

Leo smiled back, "Thanks. Good to be back."

"And, uh..." Raph began, then mumbled, "Sorry."

Teasing, Leo put his hand around his ear, "What did you say? I couldn't hear."

"I said I'm SORRY!" Raph spoke up, shouting the last part directly into Leo's and my ears.

"Apology accepted." Leo said, rubbing his ear in pain. He, Raph and I made our way back to the Lair. Leo looked at me and smiled, "You know, Elle. You would make a good leader, when the opportunity calls for it."

Raph nodded in agreement, "Like you said; A good leader is a leader that knows to keep his cool."

I lightly chuckled at Raph, "That's not exactly what I said." Then I smiled at Leo, "And not in your lifetime."

* * *

 _ ***Later, back in the Lair.***_

Leo, Raph and I made our way back to the Lair and saw Mikey was still out-cold. I felt Mikey's forehead. Donnie did what I asked of him. The damage of the concussion has reduced. Leo walked into the kitchen for a few minutes, then came back with a slice of pepperoni pizza.

Leo waved the pizza in front of Mikey. Regaining consciousness, Mikey sniffed the pizza and smiled, "Mmm, pepperoni."

Leo smiled, "Works every time."

Raph grabbed Mikey by the shoulders, "Mikey!" Then began to shake him, "Don't scare me like that, buddy!" Then hugged him, "I thought we lost you."

Raph let go of Mikey and Mikey spoke up, "Dudes, I had the weirdest dream. I dreamt the stuff in the sewer was made out of-"

Donnie cut Mikey off, before he could finish, "Eh, forget about it, Mikey. It was just a dream."

Raph grabbed Leo and my arms and pulled us away from Donnie and Mikey.

"So, what's with the girl who tried to kill you?" Raph asked Leo.

"She didn't try to kill me. She saved me." Leo answered.

"She threw a knife at your head." Raph pointed out, pointing to his crown.

"She threw a knife near my head." Leo corrected, pointing Karai's knife above his head.

"She's in the Foot clan." Raph added.

"Nobody's perfect." Leo assured, placing his hand over Raph's shoulder, then he walked off.

Raph walked back to Mikey to see if he was still affected by his concussion. I walked toward Leo. Leo gave me a small smile, but I scowled and slapped him across the face.

"What were you thinking, Leo? She could've killed you." I shouted out of worry.

"What?" Leo asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Karai is bad news to this family. She's like a snake. Slithers in your back garden and waits for the right moment to strike." I warned him.

"You know her, so she can't be all bad." He pointed out.

"Of course I know her! She's..." I stopped myself before going any further. Leo and the boys are not ready to know that part of her just yet.

"Besides, I know there's good in her, Ellie. Don't you see it as well?" He explained, then asked me.

I sighed, "I guess. If she didn't throw that knife, we would've been Snakeweed fertilizer." Out of instinct, I grabbed Leo's hand, "I just want you to be careful around her. Karai could be up to something."

Leo smiled with a light blush, "I promise you, I'll be fine." With that, he walked off to his room.

I sighed in relief, but something inside me felt like it was stung by a scorpion's tail. Is it because Leo _likes_ Karai and it's jealousy? Or is it because it's possible that Shredder is making his next move?

I guess... Only time will tell.


	15. The Alien Agenda

The Alien Agenda.

 **Eleanor's POV.**

Hello viewers. You caught us at a good time. The boys and I were just finishing off a Kraangdroid attack, during our evening patrol. We just caught them in an alley near the street park.

"Boo-yaka-shaa!" Mikey yelled, as he threw his kusarigama chain at a Kraangdroid and threw it into two other Kraangdroids.

"When fight is concluded, the ones called 'The Turtles and The Lizard' are defeated by Kraang." One of the Kraangdroids spoke up, as the boys and I took them down one-by-one.

Leo defeated one of the Kraangdroids and looked up. He smiled, then continued the fight. I noticed his smile and followed his gaze, when he looked up. Karai was watching us from the rooftops. I felt that scorpion sting in my heart again. What's she doing here?

Raph was handling a solo Kraangdroid, until Leo took over and sliced it down, "I'll save you, Raph!"

"You'll save?" Raph asked, not understanding.

Mikey had another Kraangdroid tied up in his Kusarigama. Leo landed on top of the droid's head, "Relax, Mikey." Then he took it down, "You're safe now."

He glanced up at Karai and lightly smirked.

Mikey smiled, "Thanks!" Then noticed something, "Wait, I was fine."

It felt like Leo was showing off to Karai. Not cool. I think Raph noticed, because I heard him growl. I was handling well against three of the Kraangdroids. However, Leo called from behind me, "Ellie, duck!"

I raised an eyebrow, "What for?" I heard a noise and ducked. Leo threw three shuriken stars at the droids' heads and they went offline. I looked at Leo and he dashed toward another droid, " **赫克** **?** (Hè kè/The heck?)"

Leo turned to Donnie, who was holding off the last two droids. "Donnie! Behind you!" He called.

Donnie turned and only saw a wall with graffiti on it, "The wall?" Donnie turned back and saw that Leo already defeated the droids.

Leo withdrew his weapons and smiled, lightly glancing at the rooftop, where Karai was watching. Raph and I followed his glance and saw Karai run off before the others noticed her.

"Uh, what the heck was that?" Donnie asked Leo, clueless of what just happened.

"Yeah, you trying to impress us?" Mikey asked with a serious look, then hugged Leo with a smile, "Cause it totally worked."

Donnie looked at Raph, who had a suspisious look on his face, "What is it, Raph?"

"I thought I saw something." Raph answered.

I nodded in agreement, "Me too." Then I looked at Leo, "What about you, Leo?"

Raph nodded and added, "Did you see something?"

"No." Leo answered simply.

I folded my arms, not believing Leo's answer.

Raph gave him a look and asked, "Turtles first, right?"

Leo silently nodded, "Turtles first."

Leo, Raph and I stared at each other. There were no sparks this time. But you could sense a hint of concern coming from Raph, Leo and myself. Raph and I don't trust Karai, and we're trying to stop Leo from making a huge mistake. But, Leo is not listening.

To break off the tension, I faked a yawn, "We'd better head back to the Lair, guys. It's getting kinda late." Then, I lightly lowered my tone, "We can settle this another time."

Leo and Raph looked at me, who gave them the same look, then looked at each other. They both nodded in agreement.

"You're right, Elle. It is getting late." Raph said.

"You feel like we're missing something?" Donnie asked Mikey.

"All the time." Mikey answered.

With that, the boys and I returned to the Lair. I stayed behind and looked at the rooftop. If Karai was under instruction to find and kill us, why hasn't she done it yet? Is she biding her time with us, or is she changing her mind?

* * *

 _ ***At The Cathedral...***_

 **Samantha's POV.**

It's been a quiet night. Karai was scouting the city for the Turtles and Lizard Girl. And Father appointed Baxter Stockman, who is now working for us, to create robot legs for Xever. Stockman has already created a device that helps Xever breathe out of water. He was just finishing adjusting the legs to Xever's waist.

The legs were complete and Xever was able to stand up.

Bradford smiled teasingly, "Aw, the mermaid's growing legs!"

I leaned in a bit to watch, "I hope they work."

"Please! Settle down." Stockman told me and Bradford. Then he smiled at Xever, "Xever, get ready to walk."

Xever started walking and was able to walk a few steps, until the legs went all funny and caused Xever to dash toward the door and slam into it. Then Xever ran toward Father's throne and collapsed. The legs were still moving. Bradford was laughing at the entire thing.

I gave Bradford and glare, "Bradford... Don't make me get the newspaper." I warned.

"Fix this, or I will bite your head off." Xever told Stockman, tried to stop the legs from kicking him in the face, but they did.

Stockman pressed a button and the legs were switched off.

Father arrived from behind Stockman. I think he entered when Xever hit the door. "Baxter Stockman." He spoke up.

In a startle Stockman looked at Father and shrieked, "Mr. Shredder!" Then, he regained his composure and asked, "Uh, how long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to witness your failure." Father answered, then told Stockman, "My patience is wearing thin."

"Yes, sir. It's just the control mechanism is proving trickier-" Stockman answered, then tried to explain.

"Enough!" Father cut Stockman off, "If he is not walking soon, You won't be either. I will give you one more chance, and then I-"

"Father." Karai spoke up, indicating her arrival.

I smiled, " **妹** **!** (Imōto/Little Sister!)"

I ran over and gave Karai a welcoming hug. Karai returned the hug and turned her attention back at Father.

"We spotted the Turtles and Eleanor fighting some guys in suits. But, they were actually slimy brain squids in robot bodies!" She told us of what happened.

This caught my attention, "Brain squids? Like this small, pink and make this kind of sound?" I asked.

As I asked, I put my hands around the top and the bottom of my abdomen. Then I made a growly shriek.

Karai nodded, "Y-Yeah. You know something about them?" She asked.

I shook my head with a shrug, "Not a clue. I don't even know why I asked that."

Father spoke up, "Your mission is to destroy them and find Splinter. Everything else is a distraction!"

"Distraction? Father, don't you want to know what's going on? Robots and creatures? Splinter's disciples are four turtles and a lizard, Mutants! Your own men got turned into hideous freaks!" Karai argued.

"Hey!" I shouted, feeling offended.

"Don't you think we should be finding out what's going on? I mean, there's more to life than your vendetta." She finished her argument.

"There is nothing more." Father told her. He walked behind her and placed his hand over her shoulder, "Have you forgotten what Hamato Yoshi did to me? To us?"

Karai and I sulked at the reminder. I went into thought about it. Father said Hamato Yoshi was the one responsible for our mother's death. And that lizard is Yoshi's neice. If Yoshi is that cruel, why do the Lizard and Turtles have such kind eyes and behave like they're a really close family?

Father's voice broke me out of my train of thought, "Every day that Splinter lives is a stain on our honor that we must wipe clean. Stay focused on your mission, Karai."

Karai nodded, "Yes, Father."

Karai put on her mask and made her way into the city again.

* * *

 _ ***Back at The Lair...***_

 **Eleanor's POV.**

The boys and I returned to the Lair. April was waiting for us in the lounge. I notice Leo and Raph enter the Dojo. I decided to follow them. Leo, Raph and I started sparing, taking turns on each other, and talk about what just happened with the Kraang and Karai.

"You knew the Foot Clan was watching us." Raph told Leo, blocking his attack.

"Not the Foot. Karai." Leo argued.

"Karai is the Foot." Raph pointed out.

Leo pushed Raph away and gave me an opening. I drew out my eskrima sticks and dashed for an attack. Leo blocked my attack with one of his katanas.

"You knew she was watching, and all you did was show off." I told him.

Leo monkey-flipped me into the air. I landed on my back, next to Raph. I kicked myself back to my feet.

"I was demonstrating how formidable we are. I knew she wasn't going to attack us." Leo argued with a small smile.

"Of course she won't. She's studying our moves for next time." I explained, as Raph and I circled Leo. Me going one side, Raph going the other.

"You don't flirt with the enemy, Leo. You take 'em down." Raph added to my argument.

"No. You're wrong about her. She has a good side." Leo stubbornly pointed out.

Leo, Raph and I exchanged attacks and Raph and Leo crossed blades.

"Oh, yeah? If that's what you're doing, why haven't you told the others about her?" Raph asked with a glare.

"Because they wouldn't understand." Leo answered.

Leo monkey-flipped Raph to the other side of the dojo. I kicked Leo in the abdomen, causing him to back into the nearest wall behind him, and pinned him against it, with my forearm against his throat.

"You really think Mikey and Donnie wouldn't understand? What about **伯父さん** (Oji-san/Uncle)? Does he know about her?" I asked him with a hard glare, "Get this through your head, Leo. Karai can't be trusted."

"Look, I know what I'm doing." Leo insisted, delivering a strike to my face.

I dropped my eskrima sticks and Leo and I locked into hand-to-hand combat. Leo kicked me in the knee and threw me over his back. I was able to flip over his back and get some distance between us. Raph dashed toward Leo and they locked into combat as well. Raph and Leo went into an all-out brawl. Leo got the upper-hand and put Raph into a headlock.

"You two have to trust me." Leo told Raph and I.

"Why should we?" Raph asked.

"What is going on in here?" Uncle Splinter asked, walking into the Dojo.

Leo released the headlock and smiled, "Uh, nothing important." Then looked at Raph and I, "Right, Raph? Ellie?"

Raph folded his arms, then sighed, "Right."

I rubbed my arm in discomfort and sighed as well, "Yeah."

With that, Raph walked off, not without shoulder-bumping Leo. I exit the Dojo. The moment I walked out, I rubbed my head, leaned against the wall and sighed. Leo has no clue what Karai is capable of. She was trained by Shredder since she was just a baby. Along with Bradford, Xever and Sam to back her up, she'll have what it takes to take us out.

I've been throught that act before. I told her about my escape. I thought I could trust her as well. But, she broke it by telling Shredder. I was barely able to escape with my life. I wouldn't have made it, if it wasn't for a shadow, that helped by leading me through the sewers to the centre of Central Park. I couldn't tell who it was. My empathic abilities don't work when I'm in a panic. Also it was the dead of night and I was wearing gloves at the time.

Anyhow, trust is a funny thing. It takes seconds to break, but years to build back up. But, maybe Leo is right. Raph and I need to be more open-minded as he is. But, what if something goes wrong? What if Karai is trying to convince Leo into joining the Foot Clan as well? What if she's waiting for the right moment to strike? What if... Great. Now I have a headache.

My train of thought was broken by Mikey's voice, "What you doin', April?"

I looked over and saw Mikey watching April putting a DNA sample into a glass tube.

"Sending in a sample for a class project." April answered.

"You're mailing in your spit for a class project?" Mikey asked, then smiled, "Man, school sounds awesome!"

April lightly shook her head, "It isn't."

"Well, I'd be awesome at it." Mikey smiled, then stood up, "Check this spit out."

Mikey began to build up a spit, until Donnie quickly covered his mouth, "Don't."

"It's not about spit. It's about the DNA." April explained.

Mikey looked at Donnie in confusion.

Donnie removed his hand from Mikey's mouth and tried to explain, "DNA. Genetic code. You know, the building blocks of life?" All he got was a blank look, "Okay, DNA is a microscopic blueprint, that tells every living thing what to grow into-" Then he realized, "And why am I still talking to you?"

Mikey shrugged with a smile, "I don't know. You'd think you'd have learned by now."

I lightly chuckled and spoke up, "Allow me to simplify." I walked toward the trio and looked at Mikey, "Mikey, DNA is what gives you your scale tone, hair color, eye color and basically what you look like now."

Mikey nodded, "Oh. Why didn't Donnie just say that?"

"I just did." Donnie said in a deadpan tone.

April spoke up to explain about the project, "Everyone in our class is sending a DNA sample to this research group, the Worldwide Genome Project. Then they'll send us back a report. Telling us all about our ancestors. Neat, huh?" Then she looked at me, "Oh, I've also sent a sample of your DNA for the class project as well."

My scales tensed at this information, " **何** **?** (Nani/What?)"

April lightly giggled, "Relax. I got a sample before you got mutated."

I sighed in relief, while Mikey nodded, "Uh-huh. Uh-huh, uh-huh. Wow. It's amazing what they can do these days." Then he burst into laughter, "Just kidding."

* * *

 _ ***Later, In the City...***_

 **Leonardo's POV.**

I waited on a rooftop for Karai to show up. I felt like I needed to talk to her. If what Raph and Ellie say about Karai are right, then I need her promise not to harm them. I yawned, a little, while waiting, then I heard something behind me. I drew my weapons and turned. As expected, Karai was on top of the water tower.

"How'd I know you'd show up?" I asked.

"Cause you're not good at hiding from me?" Karai asked with a smile behind her mask.

"Like last night." I pointed out.

"Oh! Were you there? I didn't notice." She said in a playing dumb tone, then she added, "I did see a bunch of robots, though. What's their deal?"

"Their deal is they're incredibly dangerous. Stay away from them." I answered and warned her.

"I like them already." She smiled, then turned serious, "Something else is going on. What is it?"

"I'm not sure I should tell you anymore. Raphael and Eleanor say I can't trust you." I answered.

"They make a good point." She said with a smirk. She jumped down to meet my level. I withdrew one of my katanas.

"Eventually, I am going to destroy you." She finished.

Karai drew out one of her swords and we went into combat.

"I don't think you are." I told her, blocking her attack.

"Really? And what do you think this is?" She asked, then tried to perform a strong attack.

I dodged and block her attacks and gave her a few swings, which she dodged and block.

"I think it's a cry for help." I told her, during a dodge, "I think you're looking for a way out of the Foot Clan, And I can help you."

Karai chuckled, "You're adorable. Stupid, but adorable."

She attacked, but I blocked and took a few steps back. Wait, did she just say what I thought she said?

I couldn't help but smile, "Really? You think I'm-"

I was cut off by Karai, as she dashed towards me. She swung a few attacks. All I could was block them. Then she started jumping over the rooftops, trying to get away from me. I followed her and blocked her path.

"You wanna play games? I can handle it. But, I need your word, that you will not attack my brothers, or Eleanor." I told her.

Karai smiled, "You know I can't do that." Then she turned serious again, "Why do you care so much about Shen? Do you _like_ her?" She asked.

She dashed toward to attack, but I was able to block and dodged her attacks. Now that I think about it, I do _like_ Ellie.

She's sweet, kind, smart and beautiful, even though she's a Mutant now. But she looks better as a lizard. Basicly she's a wonderful person to be with.

There's also something familiar about her. I just can't put my finger on it. Like a person you've met in your childhood, but you've never seen her face or know her name.

Even just thinking about her makes my heart literally skip a few beats and I can't help but blush.

But, I can't let these emotions get the better of me. She's my cousin. It's wrong to think that way. And what if she doesn't feel that way as well?

I crossed my blade with Karai's blade.

"Then understand this. If you come after them, I'll come after you. Hear me?" I warned her.

Karai gave me a look, jumped over me to get away a few feet and removed her mask.

"Loud and clear." She said.

She put her mask back on and disappeared. I withdrew my katana and returned home. I hope Karai doesn't think I'm playing around.

* * *

 _ ***The Next Morning. At Roosevelt High School...***_

 **April O'Neil's POV.**

I entered the school, only to find it empty. I got a call from the principle, last night, that someone from the Worldwide Genome Project has got my test result from my DNA sample and he, or she, wanted to meet me in the school. Something didn't feel right. Today was the weekend.

My train of thought was broken by a female voice from the top of the main foyer stairs, "Hello! I'm Ms. Campbell. From the Worldwide Genome Project. Are you April O'Neil?"

I looked and saw a woman in her late 40s. She wore a beige office uniform. Her back was turned, so I couldn't see her face. "Uh, yes." I answered.

"I'm here to present your DNA test results." The woman informed me. She looked at me and smiled, "Come with me."

I got a good look at her face. She looked like a strong combination of many Caucasians, her hair was brown with grey streaks, indicating her age, in a bun style, and her eyes were a strong blue.

I smiled, "Wow. I figured you guys were just gonna send printouts."

"No. We don't send printouts." The woman answered. She turned, "Come with me."

Suddenly, I felt uncomfortable around the woman, "Uh, where exactly?"

"We're going to a place where I will present Your DNA test results. Come with me." She answered.

The more I looked at the woman, the more she began to feel like she works for someone bad. "Uh, what did you say your name was again?"

"I'm Ms. Campbell From the Worldwide Genome Project. I'm here to present your DNA test results." She answered casually. Too casually.

"Right. I gotta go." I told her, then tried to make my way to the doors.

Ms. Campbell grabbed my forearm and smiled, "Come with me."

I gasped. She works for the Kraang. I tried to force her grip loose, but her grip was too strong. Ms. Campbell threw me into the trophy case and aimed to punch me. I was able to roll myself out of the way. Her punch missed me and her fist went right through the glass.

I smiled, "Thank you, Splinter."

Ms. Campbell looked at me and smiled. She removed her fist from the glass and walked toward me. I couldn't run toward the door, so I had to run down the hallways. I ran as fast as I could and around as many corners that I can find. I was able to run through a couple of classrooms, but the other doors were locked.

It was a weekend. Some of the classrooms have faulty locks. However, Ms. Campbell always seemed to find me. I ran down another corner and found the school mascot's mask. As soon as Ms. Campbell arrived at the corner, I threw the mask over her head, so she couldn't see me.

I was able to find my locker, unlock it and hide inside it. I heard Ms. Campbell walking closer. She walked past my locker, her eyes glowing a scarlet red. Once the coast was clear, I sighed in relief, got my T-Phone and texted a message to the Turtles and Ellie.

* * *

 _ ***Meanwhile, Back in The Lair...***_

 **Eleanor's POV.**

Leo has just returned from whatever it was he was doing in the city. He had a confident smile on his face.

"So? Are you gonna tell the guys about her?" Raph asked Leo.

"No need. We had a little chat, And, uh, she's gonna leave us alone." He answered and explained.

"And you believe her?" I asked.

"Oh, right. Because villains always back off, when you ask them to. Maybe I'll text the Kraang and ask them to stop mutating stuff." Raph stated in sarcasm.

Leo gave Raph and I a look and entered the kitchen. Raph and I looked at each other. I shook my head and Raph sighed. We entered the kitchen. Donnie and Mikey were already inside. Donnie was on his laptop, while Mikey was searching through the fridge.

"Okay, guys, what do you want: Omelet pizza or pizza omelet?" Mikey asked with a smile.

"What's the difference?" Raph asked.

Mikey smiled and showed a bowl of eggs, "Okay, you caught my bluff."

Suddenly, everyone's phones started ringing at the same time. We all checked our phones.

"Hey, did you guys just get a mass text from April?" Donnie asked.

"Yeah." "Mm-hmm." We all answered.

"Well, does yours also say she's being attacked by an old lady?" Donnie asked.

"Sure does." "No doubt." "Yep." We answered again.

"Is that considered an emergency?" Donnie asked.

"I guess." Leo answered. Then he shouted, "Let's go!"

The boys and I dashed out of the kitchen, grabbed our ninja gear and made our way to Roosevelt High School. April and my school.

* * *

 _ ***Later, Roosevelt High School...***_

The boys and I entered the school, only to find the place quiet. It was too quiet for my liking.

Mikey gasped and smiled in awe, "Suh-weet. So, this is what school is like."

Suddenly, the metal detectors went off. Out of annoyance, Raph stabbed his sai into the detector next to him. The detector alarm faded offline. Thank you, Raph.

I sighed in annoyance, "Ugh! Metal detectors. Wish the school board never got these installed."

Donnie looked at me with a raised brow, "Why?"

"Never leave home without my tanto." I answered, showing my tanto knife from the wrappings around my left wrist. I shrugged, "You never know, right?"

The boys and I entered the main foyer and saw a woman, in her late 40s, wearing a beige office uniform, standing on top of the stairs. Her back was turned, so we couldn't see her face. Something about the woman felt familiar.

Raph looked at Leo and sighed, "Okay, I feel stupid."

Leo moaned in annoyance, "Ugh, April's gotta learn the T-Phones Are for emergencies only."

Mentioning April's name must've caught the woman's attention. Because she tensed up, turned her head toward us, eyes glowing robotic red, and stuttered in monotone, glitchy voice, "A-A-April O'Neil?"

"Ah, sewer bunnies." Raph muttered, as we got ready for an attack.

The woman raised her arms and fired Kraang missiles, from her elbows, toward us. The boys and I jumped out of the way and landed on the staircase, due to the after-shock.

Mikey looked at Leo, "Leo, I think this does count as a-"

Leo cut him off, "An emergency. I know!"

The woman jumped into the air and aimed to crush Leo and Mikey. But they rolled out of the way and the woman landed on the railing, crushing it.

Raph tried to attack her from behind, but the woman caught him with his sai through her hand. She threw him on top of the trophy case and began throwing metallic paper at him. Raph was able to dodged and made his way the top of the chandelier. He cut the rope and the woman jumped out of the way before the chandelier and Raph could land on her. The woman landed on her hands and feet, like a spider, or a crab, turned to us, and stood up.

"All right, guys. Let's put Old Mother Hubbard back in her cupboard." Leo told us.

The boys sighed in annoyance, while I tried to supress a giggle.

"Dude, it literally hurts to listen to you sometimes." Raph told Leo.

The woman fired her missiles at us. Donnie and I dashed ahead, while Raph threw two shuriken stars at the missiles. Donnie and I used our agility to confuse the woman and were able to dis-arm her, literally, and cut off her mask, revealing exposed Kraang control mechanisms and wires. Perfect.

I turned to Mikey, "Mikey! The water fountain next to you!"

Mikey looked at the water fountain and smiled, "I know! School has everything!"

"No! Spray her!" I shouted.

"Oh!" Mikey uttered, then used his thumb to spray the fountain water into the woman's exposed robotic systems.

The woman's systems fried and she collapsed. The boys and I withdrew our weapons and Donnie looked around.

"April! Where are you?" He called.

April exit a locker, behind Donnie, walked over and kicked the droid's head, "And stay down!" She put a hand over Donnie's shoulder and smiled, "Thank you, guys."

Donnie smiled and held his arms out, expecting a hug from April. But, it didn't happen, so he smiled and petted April head, "You are so welcome."

Leo, Donnie, April and I looked over the droid. "So what the heck is that thing?" April asked.

"It looks like a Kraangdroid... Minus the Kraang." Leo answered, unsure.

I shook my head, "Not a Kraangdroid. She's an advanced robotic interface, built to retrieve missionary targets." I explained.

The boys and April just gave me a look. "English, Ellie." Leo told me.

"A robot bounty hunter, created by the Kraang." I translated, then explained, "I tango-ed with this thing a long time ago. She was after my mother for some reason."

"She said she was from the Worldwide Genome Project." April informed up.

"Whoa. How did the Kraang know you sent your DNA spit to the Worldwide Thingamajig Project?" Mikey asked, wearing the droid's mask.

"The Kraang must've hacked into their system. Who knows what kind of info they could be stealing." Donnie summarized.

I folded my arms in thought, "Or the place could be involved with the Kraang." April gave me a look. I shrugged, "It's a possibility."

"April, you'd better head to The Lair, where it's safe. We'll go check out the Worldwide Genome Project." Leo told April.

"But, first, we gotta take down the Eastside High Panthers." Mikey spoke up. He pointed to the poster of the upcoming sports game, "According to that poster, they've got it coming."

* * *

 _ ***Later, that night...***_

After escorting April back to The Lair, the boys and I made our way to the Worldwide Genome Project. While crossing rooftop to rooftop, I kept getting that nagging feeling in my mind that we were being followed. I tried to ignore it, but it just kept coming back.

The boys and I arrived at the rooftop of the building and came to a locked door.

"So how do we get in?" Raph asked.

"Leave it to me. I've got an app for that." Donnie answered, with his digital lockpick.

The other boys and I sighed in light annoyance, "Oh, boy."

Donnie's getting too reliant on technology. Can't say I'm really surprised, or really blame him.

Donnie inserted his lockpick and began typing down codes from his T-Phone.

"I've got an app for that, too." Raph informed Donnie.

He kicked the door open. Donnie sighed and followed the rest of us into the building. As we made our way through the building, the place began to not feel like a science lab, but like a Kraang research base. For interdimensional aliens, the Kraang really know how to prevent the obvious. Or, humans are just as ignorant.

"You know, for a human lab, this place is awfully Kraang-y." Mikey spoke up, voicing our thoughts.

"Guys, I think the Kraang are the Worldwide Genome Project." Leo summarized.

I sighed in annoyance, "I hate it when I do that..."

The boys and I found a way to enter the main control system. As expected, there were two Kraangdroids guarding the room. We silently entered the room, with the door opening to distract the droids.

Mikey appeared behind the droids and whispered, "Booyakasha."

With the droids' attention on Mikey, Donnie took the droids by surprise and and dismantled them. Sparing no time, Raph and I put the Kraangdroids into an empty cell, before the Kraang were able to jump out and call reinforcements. The Kraang jumped and the closed door and growled at us.

"Now, you two play nice in there." Raph teased the aliens with a smile.

Leo, Donnie and I took a look at the control room. The walls were containers with DNA samples of every flora and fauna of this planet. Labeled seperately from family name. The central pillar in a large tank of Mutagen.

"What are those?" Leo asked.

"Well, it looks like they're collecting DNA from every plant and animal species on earth." Donnie answered, as he looked around.

"What?" Leo asked out of shock and disbelief.

Not understanding the tone, Mikey answered, "Building blocks, dude. I'll drop the science on you later."

"I wonder what they're doing with all this DNA." Donnie wondered.

"Maybe to somehow modify the Mutagen?" I suggested with a small shrug.

"Whatever it is, it can't be good. Let's shut this place down." Leo told us.

Mikey looked around and noticed something, "Hey, where's Raph?"

"Gotcha!" Raph's voice caught our attention.

We looked up and saw Raph on top of the Mutagen tank, holding someone in a tight armlock. I hate it when my instincts are right. The person looked at us. It was Karai.

"Karai!" Leo and I shouted in shock.

"Ka-who?" Donnie asked in confusion.

"Bet you think you're pretty slick." Raph smiled at Karai.

Karai was able to break out of Raph's armlock, reverse it and pinned him down in a swift motion, "I have my moments."

Raph got back on to his feet and locked himself into combat with Karai. They were holding off each other very well. But, Karai was faster.

"Raph, Karai! Stop it!" Leo shouted.

"That's enough you two!" I shouted in unison with Leo.

"Okay, what the heck is going on here?" Donnie asked out of anger and confusion, then he looked at me, "How do you guys know her?"

Mikey nodded and asked me in the same tone, "Yeah, and how do we know her?" Then asked Donnie in a genuine confused tone, "Wait. Do we know her?"

"We'll explain later, okay?" I told the younger brothers.

"So this is the stuff that turns people into monsters, huh? How's it work?" Karai asked Raph, as their weapons clashed.

"Why don't you lean in a little closer, and I'll show you." Raph answered.

Karai headbutted Raph off the tank and dived after him. Out of instinct, I got inbetween the two before they clashed weapons again.

"Enough, you two!" I shouted, "You're gonna set off-"

Karai and Raph lowered their weapons and it caused me to lose my balance, and placed my hand over the alarm button. As luck would have it, the alarm went off loudly.

"One of those." I sighed.

"Nice going, Ellie. You're protecting her? What is wrong with you? She is bad news." Raph shouted at me.

"Don't you think I know that?" I argued.

"No, she's not!" Leo argued back.

"Yeah, I am." Karai admitted.

That moment, Kraangdroids arrived and surrounded the entire area.

"The ones who are not authorized, by the authority of Kraang to exist in this place, will now be destroyed by Kraang in this place." A Kraangdroid told us.

The boys and I drew our weapons, while Karai smiled under her mask, "This day just keeps getting better."

The Kraangdroids, Karai, the boys and I locked into combat. Karai was helping us take down the Kraangdroids and Leo looked like he was happy about this.

"Look. See? She's on our side." Leo said with a smile, blocking a Kraangdroid's weapon.

I gave Leo a look, while Raph voiced my thoughts, "Are you even listening to yourself?"

"I like your brother, Leo." Karai told Leo. She jumped over three Kraangdroids, slicing them in half along the way, "He's almost as entertaining as you." She finished.

"Oh, when this is over, I'll show you how entertaining I can be." Raph told Karai.

As we took out the remainder of the Kraangdroids, more droids arrived with an energy cannon, no less. Like Karai said, this just keeps getting better.

"Kraang is now arriving to provide the help, that has been requested by Kraang." The Kraangdroid on the energy cannon informed.

"We're trapped!" Leo grimanced.

"No. You're trapped." Karai spoke up. We turned and saw that she was at the control console, with her finger over a button, "What happens if I do this?"

"No!" Raph shouted.

"Don't do that!" I shouted.

"Highly undesirable outcome." A Kraangdroid said.

Karai smiled, "Well, now I gotta."

She pressed the button and the DNA samples in the containers began conjoining. Mikey screamed when the feline DNA was conjoined with the other DNA samples. Once the DNA was conjoined, it entered the Mutagen. The machine purred and a bright light flashed. Smoke filled the room and a mysterious tentacle began attacking the Kraangdroids and Karai. Luckily, Karai jumped out of the way. What crawled out of the Mutagen tank was a very strange creature.

It had an octopus body with pale pink skin, and its gooey, olive eyes resembled jellyfish. It had pointed ears and what seemed to be blue armor on its head.

The creature meowed like a cat.

"Aww. He's so cute." Mikey cooed with a cute smile.

Suddenly, the creature stretched its neck. On its neck, was a tooth-lined mouth with a feline groove in the upper lip. On the side of its neck were yellow, green and orange piscine fins, which slightly resemble a cobra hood. Its eyes stalked away from its face, and now resemble jellyfish with their tentacles. The creature roared at us and swung its tentacles at us. The boys, Karai and I jumped out of the way.

The smoke cleared and the Kraangdroids attacked the creature with their weapons. The creature retaliated and attacked the droids.

"Whoa! That is wicked." Karai gasped with a smile.

"Took the words right out of my mouth." I said, glaring at her.

"How the heck am I gonna name this?" Mikey asked.

Karai picked up an empty Kraangdroid over her back, "Good question. Well, see ya."

She made her to the exit on the second floor, leaving us to deal with the Kraangdroids and the creature.

"You're not gonna help us beat this thing? It's your fault!" Leo asked Karai, then pointed out.

Karai picked up the droid again, "I'll let the heroes handle it."

"I trusted you!" Leo told her.

"I know! That's messed up, right?" She casually remarked.

With that said, Karai was gone, leaving us in the building to fight the Kraang and the creature she created. The creature turned its attention to Leo. The Kraangdroids tried to shoot it down, but they were taken out and the creature chased after Leo, shooting electrical bolts from its eyes.

"So, guys, we all fans of Karai yet?" Raph asked his brothers.

"I don't know who she is, but I know I hate her!" Donnie shouted.

The creature charged toward us. The Kraangdroids tried to shoot it down, but the lasers didn't even harm it. "Hey look, Leo. The Kraang are on our side now." Raph teased with a smile.

"Save it." Leo growled.

Donnie looked at me, "Ellie, can't you calm this thing down?"

"It's artificial, Donnie. It has no behavior patterns." I told him.

The creature charged through the Kraangdroids and grabbed Raph by the feet, to trip him over. It picked him up and started constricting.

"Raph!" I called out of worry.

Raph forced himself free and landed in front of the creature, "Nice try, octo-punk!" Then he got smacked away.

"No, no! Call him 'Octo-Eyeball-Jelly-Bug'!" Mikey called with a smile, then he sighed, "Let's just call him Justin."

The creature, Justin, was able to take us all down with ease. He threw Mikey into a container, threw Raph into the ground, and shocked Donnie down. As for me, Justin grabbed me with one of his tentacles and constricted until I couldn't breath and the darkness come to me again.

* * *

 **Leonardo's POV.**

Justin has proven to be a really tough opponent. He took out my brothers with a single attack and now, he has hold of Ellie, who was out-cold due to his tight grip. My heart felt heavy. I couldn't believe I didn't listen to Ellie, or Raph. I trusted Karai and she broke it by leaving us. I also can't believe I _liked_ her.

"Raph and Ellie are right. It is my fault." I muttered to myself, glaring at Justin.

Justin roared at me. I roared back, dashing toward him. He shot his electrical bolts at me, but I dodged with ease. I gave Justin a few flying kicks, which was enough for him to let go of Ellie. Justin lifted me into the air. With my katanas, I was able to slide down his tentacle and kick his head to the ground.

"Hey, Justin!" I heard Ellie call. Justin and I looked and her on her feet, "This ends now."

Justin shot his bolts at Ellie, but she caught them with... her hand? She winced in pain, then with her other hand, she fired the bolts back at Justin. The collision caused a small explosion and Justin caught fire. Justin roared in pain and fled. My brothers were able to get back to their feet.

"Ha! Take that, Justin!" Mickey cheered.

Suddenly, the building started shaking. Justin was gonna burn this palce to the ground.

"Come on! Let's get out of here!" I shouted.

Ellie, my brothers and I quickly escaped the building before it was engolfed into flames. We watched the building burn from an apartment building escape stairs. Raph was keeping Ellie's sight away from the flames.

"So..." Mikey started.

"We're thinking somebody should start talking." Donnie finished.

I sighed. I guess I should've told them about Karai sooner. Now I know why Ellie kept her past a secret for a while. It feels like everything you love just died in front of you and only you know why.

* * *

 _ ***Later, back at The Lair...***_

 **Eleanor's POV.**

Leo called everyone to the lounge. He started explaining how he met Karai and why he kept her a secret. Now he knows how I felt about keeping my past with the Foot Clan secret. Hurts, doesn't it?

"I should've told you about Karai sooner. But, I really thought there was a chance she would be good. And... I guess I... Sort of _liked_ her." Leo finished his story. He looked at us and sulked, "Go ahead. Laugh."

Mikey was the first to speak, "Dude, I can't believe you trusted her."

"I can't believe you didn't trust us enough to tell us." Donnie gasped.

"I was wrong. I'm really sorry." Leo apologised with a frown.

"I tried to warn him." April shrugged.

"You too, huh?" Raph and I asked.

Uncle Splinter walked up to his eldest son, "Leonardo, you are not the first young man, or turtle, to make a fool of yourself over a girl."

"What about Donnie?" Mikey asked, earning a punch in the arm by Donnie.

"However, when that girl is a kunoichi, and the employ of your enemy, that is an error you cannot afford." Splinter finished.

Leo nodded, " **はい** **、先生** **.** (Hai, Sensei/Yes, Teacher/Master.)"

"Deception is the ninja's most powerful weapon, And it seems Karai is a master." Uncle Splinter told Leo.

"I know. We can't trust her. I see that now." Leo answered with a small sulk.

Uncle Splinter placed his hand on Leo's shoulder and smiled, "Good. You must learn from your mistake."

"Thank you for understanding." Leo smiled, as Sensei turned his back, "I'm glad you're not mad."

Uncle Splinter turned, "Who says I'm not mad?"

And he jabbed Leo's toe. Leo yelped and hopped in pain. Of course, he lost his balance and fell on his back. That was really funny.

A little later, everything calmed down and everyone was just starting to retire for the night. Mikey and Donnie were already in their rooms. Leo and Raph were just on their way.

"Hey, bro." Raph called, getting Leo's attention, "I'm glad you came to your senses."

Leo smiled and rubbed the back of his head, "You were right. I don't know what I was thinking."

Raph smiled and folded his arms, "Well, I can see how you'd think she's hot In an evil kind of a way."

Leo lightly chuckled, "Yeah. Well, don't worry. I am so over that."

Raph patted Leo's shoulder and went into his room. Leo's smile turned into a light sulk.

While I was taking care of Mikey's leftover pizza boxes, I heard Leo speak up from behind me, "Ellie, mind if I ask you a question?"

"What's up?" I asked, turning to face him.

"Why did you stop Raph and Karai?" He asked me, then he explained, "I know you have a past with her, and all that, but I know you're not the type get in between fights. Even with one you don't trust."

I went deep into thought about that moment. The more I think about it, the more questions come to my mind. It just happened on instinct. I know I was stopping Raph and Karai from making a mistake.

"You know Leo? I really don't know myself. I just felt like I had to. As much as I don't trust her, there's something familiar about her. I know you would've done the same." I answered honestly.

Then a thought came to me. Now is a good time to ask him, "Now, I have a question for you."

Leo shrugged, "Shoot."

"Did you ever have a friend in the city, before you met April and I?" I asked. I could feel my heart race from the question.

Leo folded his arms in thought, "Now, that you mention it..." He nodded, "Yeah. I did. A girl. She was lost and I thought I'd help her by speaking to her. She was kinda like you. But, I never knew what her name was. Master Splinter caught me and he forbid me from talking to her ever again."

My eyes widen in shock. I never gave my imaginary friend my name either. Was there a connection?

"Of course, I met her again, two years ago." Leo continued with a small smile. "She looked like she was running from something. I knew it was her. She had this sense about her. I lead her away from the tunnels to safety and-"

I cut Leo off by throwing my arms around him. I couldn't believe it. Leo was my childhood imaginary friend and he helped me with my escape from the Foot Clan. I knew he felt familiar. I felt Leo return the hug. I was so happy I could fly. But, Karai still has me worried. I can sense Leo still has feelings for her. But, will Karai break his heart just like his trust, or is there something else going on?

I guess only time will tell...

* * *

 _ ***At the Cathedral...***_

 **Samantha's POV.**

Argh! Baxter Stockman has been at this all day. Failure after failure on how to work Xever's robotic legs. He keeps saying that there's a missing component within the control mechanism, but it'll take years to create such a thing. Whatever that is.

Bradford was enjoying Xever's humilliation. He was laughing at every failure that happened.

"Oh, this is too good. I could watch this forever." Bradford was able to say between his laughs.

"Go... Chase... A... Mailman!" Xever tried to retort, as his robotic legs dragged him across the floor.

I had enough of Bradford's abuse on Xever. I rolled up one of my least favorite comic books and began tapping Bradford on the nose, "No, Bradford. Bad dog. Bad Bradford."

Bradford winced at every tap I gave him. Suddenly, Karai arrived and threw an empty robot torso with blue, tattered, transparent armor. The robot's face looked very familiar to me. Where have I seen it before?

"The robots. I've seen them up close. They call themselves 'the Kraang.'" Karai informed us.

"I told you I am not interested in this robot fiction. I will hear no more of this!" Father shouted at his youngest daughter.

"I think this is how they control their robot bodies." Karai told Father, holding a small piece of the robot, then shugged at Stockman, "I don't know. Maybe you can use it?"

Karai threw the piece to Stockman. Stockman examined the piece and began pressing the buttons. The robot responded with no glitches or mess-ups.

Stockman smiled, "This is exactly the sort of neural transmission interface I've been trying to develop!"

I scratched my head in confusion. Again with the science stuff. Then Father's intreagued 'hmm' caught my attention.

"Very well. I want you to find out all you can about this 'Kraang.'" Father began, walking behind Karai and placing his hands over her shoulders, "Their technology may prove useful In our war against the Turtles." The he smiled under his mask, "Well done, Karai."

Proud, Karai smiled.


	16. The Pulverizer

The Pulverizer.

 **Eleanor's POV.**

Heya viewers. How are you doing? I gotta say, you guys came at a really good time. I was just starting to get bored. Leo, Mikey, Raph and I were waiting in an abandoned train station, for Donnie. He said he has a surprise for us. He's been gone for almost two hours. And everyone is starting to get impatient or bored of waiting.

Mikey sighed in impatience, "Ugh, what's taking so long? Donnie knows I have a short atten-" Then he saw something else, "Ooh, gum!"

Mikey picked up the piece of chewed gum and was about to put it in his mouth. Until Raph slapped it out of his hand. Raph sighed, "Man, this better be worth it."

Just after he spoke, we hear the sound of a train coming. The boys and I looked at the corner and saw Leatherhead's old subway car coming. However, it was modified to look like an army subway car, with monster truck tires on the side, making it all-terrain.

I couldn't help but smile, as Raph finally found his voice, "Worth it."

The car doors opened and revealed Donnie with a small grin on his face, "So?"

"You turned Leatherhead's old subway car into this?" Leo asked in awe.

"Donnie, have I ever told you how awesome you are?" Raph asked.

"No, you haven't." Donnie answered.

"Well, I'm seriously considering it." Raph admitted.

I lightly chuckled in excitement, "This is amazing, Donnie. What do you call this thing?"

Donnie smiled and started explaining, "Well, it's a trans-axled, Multi-armored, electromagnetic-"

Mikey interrupted Donnie with a huge smile, "The Shell-Raiser."

Leo, Raph, Donnie and I looked at Mikey in slight confusion. Did he just name the subway car without knowing what it is? Incredible.

"What?" Donnie asked.

"The Shell-Raiser. It's the perfect name." Mikey answered.

The boys and I looked at each other. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Mikey is brilliant with his names.

"That is the perfect name." Leo said, voicing our thoughts.

Mikey smiled, "Of course it is, bro. You guys always underestimate me." Then he found the gum again, "Ooh, gum!"

We entered the Shell-Raiser and the inside is just as impressive as the outside. Five seats for five different stations; Driver, navigator, healing station (Aw, Donnie...), weapons and defence, and vital functions. Donnie pressed a button and the Shell-Raiser was switched on.

"Now, I've assigned everyone to a station, based on your individual skill sets." He explained to us. Then he added, "I can't drive, because my station's in the back. So-"

The other boys cut him off calling, "Driver!" Then they started fighting on who should be driver.

I lightly sighed and grabbed Donnie's **薙刀** (Naginata/Pole-Blade), and tapped the seat, blocking the trio, "Leo drives."

The boys stopped fighting. Leo smiled, while Mikey and Raph looked at me, "Why?"

"He's least likely to hit something just for fun." I answered, matter-of-fact.

"True." Raph and Mikey admitted.

"Thanks, Elle." Leo said with a smile and patted me on the shoulder. I couldn't help but blush.

Leo took the driver's seat, while Raph took the weapons and defence seat, Mikey took navigation, and I took the healing station, which was next to the driver.

"So, how do we get this baby going?" Leo asked.

The tv monitor, next to Leo, switched on with Donnie to explain, "Okay, just ease the throttle forward ever so sli-"

Leo lightly pushed the throttle forward and the Shell-Raiser started moving with sudden jolt. The force caused use to fall back on our seats a little.

"What is powering this thing?" Raph asked with a smile.

"The Kraang power cell we got from Leatherhead." Donnie answered.

I switched on my monitor to speak to Donnie, "I thought you said that was dangerous. Like the Kraang could track it."

"That's why I put it under a lead glass shield. Now I can regulate the output and prevent the Kraang From detecting its signal." He explained with a smile.

Mikey finally decided to speak up, "I hate to interrupt, but dead end!"

The boys and I looked forward and saw that Mikey was right. We were heading for a dead end of the tracks, a wall to be precise. This is gonna hurt.

"Uh, Donnie, How do I stop this thing?" Leo asked.

"Don't!" Donnie answered.

"What?!" Leo exclaimed.

"Trust me!" Donnie told him.

The Shell-Raiser got closer to the wall. Leo, Raph, Mikey and I braced ourselves for the impact. Donnie calmly pressed a switch and the wall opened and morphed into a ramp. The Shell-Raiser rode up the ramp and jumped into the air. The monster truck tires were lowered and we were riding in the streets on New York.

"Donnie, you're awesome!" Raph told Donnie with a smile.

"This is so metal!" I exclaimed in excitement. The Shell-Raiser was riding down the streets and nobody has noticed.

After a few minutes of driving, everyone calmed down and Mikey was humming a strangely familiar tune. Then he turned to Donnie and asked, "Does this thing have a stereo?"

Donnie smiled, "What good would this thing be without some tunes?" He switched on the radio and it started playing classical Mozart music.

With a raised eyebrow, Raph asked, "Are you serious?"

"Check out the second movement." Donnie said. He pressed the switch again and Mozart was replaced by heavy metal music. Now that's more like it, Donnie.

Taken by the music, Leo picked up some speed. The boys cheered in excitement, as I voiced everyone's thoughts, "That's what I'm talking about."

Donnie made the Shell-Raiser do a couple off wheelies and Mikey rode his seat like a surfer. After that, Raph, Donnie, Mikey and I grabbed the handles on the center of the ceiling and Leo made the Shell-Raiser do a few spins. The boys and I were having the best night yet. After the spins and Leo drive down another street, Raph opened the roof to enjoy the breeze.

However the moment was called to a stop, when Raph called to Leo, "Leo, pull over!"

Leo pulled over and powered down the Shell-Raiser. The boys looked at Leo's out-door monitor and saw the Purple Dragons exiting a building with a box of components.

I raised an eyebrow, "Purple Dragons?"

Leo chuckled with a smile, "Oh, this night keeps getting better and better."

Raph smiled as well, "Oh, yeah. It's like candy for my knuckles." He cracked his knuckles, ready for a fight, "And tonight's Halloween."

Donnie spoke up, when he saw something, "Oh, wait a minute. Who's that?"

Donnie pointed at the right corner of the monitor. On top of a dumpster, in front of the Purple Dragons, and in the shadows, was a person. It was in a crouching position, so you couldn't see much.

"Excuse me, boys. I think you forgot to pay for that." The person said in a deep male voice, then it stood up, "But don't worry. I accept cash, cheque, or teeth."

Okay, I don't need to know what this guy looked like. I recognized his voice in seconds. An old classmate that was expelled because of his habit of getting into trouble, clumsiness... And never listening to his teachers.

Leo smiled, "Huh. That was a pretty good line."

I folded my arms with a bored expression on my face, "This is gonna end bad."

The boys gave me a look, until Fong spoke up, "What are you gonna do? There's one of you and three of us."

The boy smiled, "Oh, you want to call a couple friends, make it even?"

He jumped down from the dumpster and stood in front of the Purple Dragons.

Raph smiled, "This guy's got guts."

"Give it a second." I said, narrowing my eyes.

Raph looked at me, "Really Ellie?"

I waved my hand, "Trust me."

"It's time to face the wrath of The Pulverizer!" The boy shouted, stepping out of the shadows.

We could finally see what he looks like. The Pulverizer was a Caucasian-American boy around the Turtles' age. He had dark brown hair and brown eyes. He wore a cheap, yet strangely familiar, turtle costume.

"This is gonna be great." Mikey smiled, giddy with excitement.

"And..." I began. Then Pulverizer started shouting and attacking the Dragons with poor attacks and, basically, acting like this fight was part of a comic book. "There it is." I finished with an annoyed sigh.

"Or not." Leo sighed, finally agreeing with me.

The Purple Dragons smirked and began beating Pulverizer to the ground. The boys and I winced at the action.

"Oh, the Pulverizer's getting just-" Mikey began but got a bit lost, "Well, I don't know the word. But we gotta help him."

The others and I agreed. As much as he is stubborn and impulsive, The Pulverizer is an innocent citizen and that can't be ignored. So, we exit the Shell-Raiser and silently surrounded the Purple Dragons.

"How do you like the odds now, Fong?" Leo asked Fong, making our presence known.

The Pulverizer saw us, gasped and smiled, "Whoa, the Turtles and the Lizard!" Hold on, he knows about us?

"How does he know who we-" Donnie began to wonder, until Fong cut him off with a punch to the face.

Donnie landed on his back. Sid tried to punch him, but Donnie moved his head and kicked Sid toward Pulverizer. Pulverizer gave Sid a karate chop in the stomach.

He chuckled and stood up, "Oh, nice combo! High five."

Sid got back to his feet, grabbed Pulverizer's raised hand and threw him toward me.

"Get down!" I said, pushing Pulverizer away from an upcoming attack from Tsoi.

The boys and I were handing the Dragons well, until Tsoi was able to get Leo into a headlock and Fong was able to grab the stolen components and run off with them.

"Fong's getting away!" Leo alerted us.

Mikey dodged an attack from Sid and noticed Fong running off, "Oh no, he don't."

Mikey got his kusarigama and threw it toward Fong. However, Pulverizer charged after Fong, "I got him." Pulverizer got caught by Mikey's kusarigama and fell to the floor, letting Fong get away, "Oh, dang, almost had him."

"Not cool, man." Mikey said, releasing Pulverizer with a quick motion.

Suddenly, sirens blared and it was coming toward the alley. Sid and Tsoi quickly made a run for it.

"Cops! We gotta go!" Leo told us, as we made our way to the Shell-Raiser.

Unfortunately, Pulverizer followed us calling, "Oh hey! Uh, great teamwork, guys!"

Raph looked at Pulverizer, before entering the Shell-Raiser, "Look, I don't know who you think you are, or what you think you're doing. But don't."

Being the stubborn boy I knew, Pulverizer continued talking, "Yeah, maybe sometime we can get together and-"

Raph turned Pulverizer around and closed the door. The next thing I heard was Pulverizer saying, "Oh, hey, I think I-" Then Leo drove the Shell-Raiser back to the Lair. Donnie turned the music on. Even the music on, I couldn't help but hear screaming.

"You guys hear something?" I asked. The boys listened as well and could hear the screaming as well.

After a few seconds, the screaming stopped. The boys shook it off as nothing, but I couldn't help but feel that something was off. The Shell-Raiser arrived at the Lair and the doors opened. I looked through and saw Pulverizer on the ground, dazed.

"Guys, we've got a problem." I called to the boys. I ran to Pulverizer to check if he was alright.

Leo looked through the doors and saw Pulverizer as well, "What the-"

I helped Pulverizer sit up, "Are you okay?"

Pulverizer looked at me and smiled, "Uh, sure." Then he held his stomach, looking like he was gonna barf, "You- You can survive with just one kidney, right?"

Raph, Donnie and Mikey joined us and Raph sighed in annoyance, "Great! First, this doofus gets in the way of a good Purple Dragon stomping, and now he knows where our lair is."

"Oh, no problem. I blacked out most of the way here." Pulverizer informed. That's a good thing.

"How do you even know we exist?" Donnie asked.

Pulverizer smiled, "Oh, I saw you months ago." He explained that he saw the boys fighting Baxter Stockman, when he was the Stockmanpod, from his apartment building. Then he went all fanboy, and started mimicking the boys. He started with Leo, "You were like, 'Let's finish this!'" Then he looked at Raph, "Oh, and you were like all, 'You're going down!'" Then Mikey, "And then you were like all, 'Bees!'" And lastly Donnie, "Oh, and you were like... You were like the strong, silent type."

Mikey whispered loudly to us, "Dudes, we have a stalker."

A thought came to me. Pulverizer saw the boys fighting Stockman months ago. How does he know about me?

"How do you know about me? I wasn't there." I asked.

Pulverizer smiled at me, "Oh, I saw you with these two, fighting that plant thing a few weeks ago." He pointed at Raph and Leo, "Really clever with the nitrogen tanks."

I folded my arms at him. So, he was the aura I sensed, when Leo, Raph and I were fighting Snakeweed. So much for trying to keep ourselves secret.

"You guys inspired me to become a hero." Pulverizer continued, "I saw you guys, and I thought, 'What have they got that I haven't got'?"

"Years of training under a grandmaster of ninjutsu?" Donnie guessed in a deadpan tone.

"No, an awesome costume." Pulverizer answered, then he asked, "Where'd you get yours, by the way?"

"Uh, we are not wearing costumes. We're Mutants." Donnie answered matter-of-fact.

"Riiight." Pulverizer said in a 'I-believe-you-not' tone.

Then he poked Mikey's arm and shell. Then he noticed my tail. He picked up my tail and lightly stroked it.

He smiled, "Wow. Your tail is so smooth. What's it made of?"

He pulled on my tail a bit too hard and it really hurt, " **痛い** **！** (Itai/Ow!)" I turned and swung my tail away from Pulverizer's hands, "Watch it, would ya?"

Not hearing me, Pulverizer smiled, "Cool. How do I do that?"

Raph looked at Pulverizer and pointed at him, "You, stop talking!" Then he turned to us, "We gotta get him out of here."

To our surprise, we heard Pulverizer speak from inside the Lair, "Whoa, this place is amazing! What's with all the pizza boxes?"

The boys and I entered the Lair and found Pulverizer in mine and Donnie's shared lab, fiddling with Metalhead's head.

Donnie noticed and shouted, "Hey, don't touch that!"

Pulverizer turned and saw something on Donnie's desk, "Hey, what's this?"

He picked a Kraang neuro-transmission interface chip. Before he could break it, Donnie snatched it from Pulverizer's hands.

"That looks like the stuff those guys were stealing." Pulverizer informed us.

"That's impossible." Donnie answered with a small shake of his head. Then he looked at me and his brothers, "It's Kraang Tech."

"What-what's a 'Kraang'?" Pulverizer asked us.

"If we told you, we'd have to kill you." Raph told him, but after two seconds of silence, he gave into temptation, "You see, the Kraang are aliens from another dimension."

Leo nudged Raph quiet, while I told him, "I think he's heard enough, Raph."

"Wait, why would the Purple Dimwits want Kraang robotics?" Leo wondered.

"It's not like they'd know what to do with it." Raph added.

"Unless they're stealing it for someone else who does." I pointed it out with folded arms.

"Well, who do we know that would be interested in stolen, evil, robot parts?" Donnie asked.

The boys and I thought for a second, then the name came to us, "Baxter Stockman."

"Donatello." Mikey said, earning a look from all of us, until he corrected himself, "Baxter Stockman."

"We'll check it out." Leo told us. He looked at Donnie, "Donnie, fix the Shell-Raiser." Then he looked at me, "And Ellie, help Donnie take 'Captain Rubber Pants' home."

Is Leo mad? Me keep an eye on Pulverizer? I could only say one thing, " **何？** (Nani/What?)"

"Wait! Why do I have to-" Donnie tried to interject, but Leo, Raph and Mikey were already gone. Terrific.

"So what now?" Pulverizer asked, accidently knocking over some of Donnie's science beakers. Thank goodness they were empty. Donnie and I sighed in annoyance. This is gonna by a loooong night.

With my help, Donnie was able to get the Shell-Raiser into his lab. As we began fixing the Shell-Raiser, Pulverizer was starting to get annoying with asking questions and trying to show his 'hero-moves'. Donnie and I just ignored him.

While fixing the Shell-Raiser, a thought came to me. Pulverizer is stubborn, clumsy and impatient. If he's gonna put himself in danger again, he needs to know how to fight, so what happened with the Purple Dragons doesn't happen again. I hope my kindness doesn't come back to bite me in the tail.

Pulverizer was playing with Donnie's **薙刀**. He chuckled, "Wicked staff."

I sighed, "It's a **薙刀**."

"Put that down." Donnie told him.

But, Pulverizer didn't listen to him and continued to play with Donnie's staff, "Check out my sweet moves."

"I said put that down!" Donnie said again.

"No, let me show you this one thing." Pulverizer told us. He started twirling the staff, but he lost control and it flew toward my head. I caught the staff before it hit me.

"Look, we're busy here!" Donnie shouted in annoyance.

I sighed, jumped down from the Shell-Raiser and looked at Pulverizer, "If you must play with the staff, and apparently you must, try this." I began slowly twirling the staff, then I steadily picked up the pace, "Now, you see what I'm doing? Slowly. Keep your hands near your center and switch sides. Smooth. Fluid. Right?" I stopped the staff and gave it to Pulverizer, "Now you try."

Pulverizer took the staff, "Okay." He began twirling the staff, copying me exactly. He picked up the pace a bit and was able to keep it under control.

I smiled and lightly chuckled, "Alright. Not bad, Tim."

Pulverizer smiled, "Oh, yeah." Then looked at me, "Huh?" He noticed I called him by his real name. This caused him to lose his concentration and hit his head, "Ow!" He rubbed his head and gave me a thumbs up, "I got it!"

I folded my arms at him, "What?" I walked toward Pulverizer with a small glare, "You think you can just put a sword under your pillow and wake up a samurai?" He slowly backed away from me, "You've gotta practice. Start with the basics. It takes more than a cheesy costume to be a hero."

Pulverizer smiled, "Pretty sweet, huh? Check out the muscles."

" **¿Qué?** (What?)" I asked, my glare vanishing into a confused look.

Pulverizer unzipped his costume. I quickly covered my eyes. I'm a girl, I don't wanna see that. Trust me, neither do you.

"Foam rubber. Pretty cool, huh?" I heard Pulveriser said, then zipped his costume back up. Then he started walking toward me, "Way faster than working out. I want to be a hero now. I don't have time for the basics. Show me the good stuff."

I sighed and took Donnie's staff from him, "Alright. One more." I demonstrated a bo-staff technique and naming the steps that went with it, "Jab. Block. Step. Sweep. Twirl. Backflip. Strike!"

I gave Pulveriser the staff and he smiled, "Okay, got it." He began the technique, "Jab!" However, he tightened his grip and the blade popped out, close to his face. Pulveriser yelped, dropped the staff and fell on his back.

"And that's why we start with the basics." I told him in a deadpan tone.

I lead Pulveriser out of the lab, into the lounge and in front of the dummy. I showed him a simple double-punch. Pulverizer was able to give the dummy two weak punches, but he went for a third punch, missed the dummy and walked straight into the post that kept the dummy standing. He grabbed the dummy and rammed into me. When Pulveriser noticed he was on top of me, I noticed his face went bright red. He quickly got off me and tried to pretend nothing happened. That was a bad idea.

After we recovered, I took Pulveriser to the top of the water-way. I showed him a simple combo of a double-high-kick and double-punch. Simple enough, right? Unfortunately wrong. He copied me poorly and threw a fury of poor punches, and walked straight to the edge. He kept his balance and gave me a thumbs-up, before falling into the water. I shook my head.

I got Pulveriser out of the water and explained to him that the reason behind his lack of strike was his posture. So, I gave him one of my blank Dreampads and a pencil. I borrowed the pin-board and showed Pulveriser how your posture helps with your strike power. He looked like he was paying attention. I told him to show me his progress on what he's learned. He showed me a picture of himself, with muscles and in a heroic pose. Annoyed, I threw one of my eskrima sticks, throwing the pad out of Pulveriser's hands. Just like before, he never listened to his teachers.

I took Pulveriser to the Dojo and told him the other reason behind the posture is fitness. Although they eat a lot of pizza, the boys are able to stay remarkably fit due to exercise and training sessions. So, I instructed Pulveriser to do a few stretches.

I bent down, so my hands could touch my toes. Pulveriser could barely reach his waist. Then we tried sit-ups, Pulveriser was barely lift himself from the floor. Next was push-ups, he was on his hands and knees. Not cool, dude. Last, we tried squats. Pulveriser was able to do one, but that was it.

Looks like I have to go to level 0.

I demonstrated the easiest move there was, the barrel roll. If Pulveriser couldn't do this, I couldn't help him. Luckily, he was able to. I showed him again, and he was able to roll again. But, he kept rolling and he was going toward... Oh no.

"No, stop! You're headed for..." I tried to call, but I was too late. Pulveriser rolled in and went into a collision, "Splinter's room."

"Eleanor!" I heard my uncle call. He entered the Dojo, holding Pulveriser by the neck of his costume, "Does this belong to you?"

" **伯父さん** (Oji-san/Uncle), Pulveriser. Pulveriser, **伯父さん**." I introduced the two.

Pulverizer smiled and waved at Splinter, "Pleased to meet you." Then he whispered loudly to me, "Hey, does he know he's a rat?"

Uncle Splinter dropped Pulveriser, "He knows."

" **ごめんなさい** **, 伯父さん** **.** (Gomen'nasai, Oji-san/I'm sorry, Uncle.) We found him on the street, trying to fight the Purple Dragons, and he accidentally wound up back in the Lair. So, with Donnie busy fixing the Shell-Raiser, and the other boys looking for the Dragons, I thought I'd teach him a few basics-" I tried to explain to Splinter, but Pulveriser interrupted.

"Yeah, and she's doing a great job. Check this out." He smiled. The Pulveriser started making a fool of himself. Was he doing this to impress my uncle? Or was he doing this so I wouldn't look bad? Either way, it wasn't working.

"Apparently, you have not taught him shame." Splinter noted, then he asked, "May I speak with you for a moment?"

I nodded, " **はい** **, 伯父さん** **.** (Hai, Oji-san/Yes, Uncle.)"

Splinter lead me away from Pulveriser, " **姪** (Mei/Niece), he has no business learning our art. He is..." We looked back at Pulveriser. He smiled and waved. "A 'doofus'." Splinter finished.

I nodded, "I understand, **伯父さん**. But, I know this guy, and he's gonna put himself at risk, no matter what the boys and I tell him. So I just want to teach him enough so he doesn't get severely hurt." I explained.

Splinter lightly shook his head, then he looked at me, "You may. But if you train him, you are responsible for whatever happens."

I nodded in understanding.

Of course, our conversation was put to a stop, when we noticed Pulveriser playing with Donnie's staff again. He had the blade pierced through on of the wall paintings. He tried to pull it out. Once he did, the momentum forced him back into the weapon stack.

"Good luck." Splinter told me, then returned to his room.

* * *

 _ ***Meanwhile, at Baxter Stockman's Warehouse...***_

 **Leonardo's POV.**

Raph, Mikey and I made our way to Baxter Stockman's warehouse. Stockman wasn't alone. The Purple Dragons were with him.

"Baxter Stockman, whatever you're up to With those robotic parts, it ends now." I told Stockman, dropping from ceiling.

Stockman smiled, "You want to see what I'm working on? Well, here it comes."

He snapped his fingers and a large, humanoid fish jumped from behind him and landed in front of us. Its scales were red with a white underbelly. It had an underbite with large teeth. There was a strange contraption connected to its gills, which must be the reason why it can survive out of water. And around its waist was a pair of robotic legs. Who did Ellie call a type of fish? Oh, yeah, Xever.

Mikey, Raph and I laughed at Xever. He looked so silly with the contraption of his back and the robotic legs. Ellie would have loved the irony.

"Look! Sushi that delivers itself." I joked, pointing one of my katanas at Xever.

Xever punched the nearest object, which was a tool drawer, into the air. He jumped behind it and kicked it toward us. Mikey, Raph and I quickly jumped out of the way.

"Dude, Fishface is a little sensitive." Mikey summarized.

"You're calling him 'Fishface'?" I asked. The new name was kinda funny.

Mikey smiled, "Well, it was that or 'Robo-carp'." Then Xever kicked him into the wall behind him. "Pretty good, pretty good." Mikey said in a weak voice.

"Important safety tip: Avoid the legs." Raph told us, as he dashed to attack Fishface.

Raph and Fishface were quite evenly matched. However, Raph was able to get the upper-hand and used his sais to bound Fishface's robotic legs to the wall.

"What do you got besides legs?" Raph asked. Fishface answered by biting Raph's right shoulder. Raph hit the sides of Fishface's head with the hilt of his sais, forcing Fishface to let go.

"Teeth! I think they're... Poison." Raph tried to inform us, then fell to the ground. Poison? That's not good.

* * *

 **Michelangelo's POV.**

Leo dashed in to fight Fishface. Raph just got bitten and Fishface's teeth are poisonous. I ran to Raph and tried to help him back to his feet.

"Raph, are you okay?" I asked my poisoned older brother.

"Huh? Sure. Yeah." Raph answered, trying to get up, but fell to the ground again.

Fishface really got to him. I heard Sid coming from behind me, so I used my nunchuck to grab his fist and throw him over my head and into the nearest wall. I turned Raph on his back.

"Oh, I'm fine." He said, giving me his hand and smiled, "I love you."

"He's not fine!" I told Leo.

"Call Ellie. Tell her we need an antidote." Leo told me.

I nodded and quickly got my T-Phone. Ellie always knows what to do with this kind of situation.

* * *

 _ ***Meanwhile, back at the Lair...***_

 **Eleanor's POV.**

Training Pulveriser has proven to be quite tricky. But, I've found that he learns better by demonstration and being told the steps. Right now, I'm teaching him how to trip his opponent, when he's coming toward him. Pulveriser ran toward me, went down on his back and positioned himself between my feet.

"Put your left leg behind my knees. Right leg above my feet. Twist your hips a bit. And... Down I go." I told him. He did as I said and then tried to force me to the floor. "And... Down I go!" I said again. He tried again and I was still not budging. I folded my arms, "And Down I- Whoa!"

This time, I let Pulveriser knock me to the ground. I knew he was trying but, he just wasn't strong enough yet. I might as well be kind and hold back, waaay back.

Pulveriser cheered, "Yes! I did it!" He and I got back on our feet. He asked, "When do I get my black belt?"

I just gave him a deadpan expression. My T-Phone started ringing. Oh, I forgot to inform you guys. Donnie gave me a T-Phone to replace my old one. Ever since the incident with the mousers, Donnie thought it would be beneficial. Which it has.

I answered my T-Phone, "Eleanor."

"Ellie! We need help! Raph's been bitten by a giant, poisonous, robotic fish!" Mikey's voice shouted into my ear, from the other side.

"That's not possible. If he was bitten, it's venom, not poison." I explained.

"Interesting, interesting." Mikey replied, then shouted into my ear again, "Get over here!"

I hung up my T-Phone and ran into the lab. "Donnie, start the Shell-Raiser. We have an emergency." I told Donnie.

I explained what Mikey told me. Unfortunately, there are no known herbal remedies for fish venom. So, Donnie had to get his medical kit. We were about to enter the Shell-Raiser, until Donnie noticed something; neither of us can drive.

Donnie looked at Pulveriser, "Hey, do you know how to drive?"

Pulveriser smiled, "You kidding? I've been driving an ice cream truck all summer."

Donnie, Pulveriser and I entered the Shell-Raiser. Donnie started the engine and Pulveriser drove us into the city. Along the way, Pulveriser stopped to sell ice cream, but Donnie and I told him there was no time. So, we continued down the streets. Donnie told Pulveriser to speed up. Pulveriser did, but his driving was all over the place. He did say that he drove an ice cream truck.

"Whoa! Watch out!" Donnie shouted, as Pulveriser ran over a few garbage can and street lights.

"I thought you said you knew how to drive!" I reminded Pulveriser.

"I usually don't go over eight miles an hour." Pulveriser answered. I face-palmed. Why am I not surprised?

"Just try to hold it steady, okay? I gotta mix this antidote for Raph." Donnie told him.

Donnie opened his medical kit and I got out my T-Phone to keep in touch with Mikey. I put Mikey on speaker.

"Mikey, what are Raph's symptoms?" I asked.

"He keeps telling me, I'm the smartest guy he knows." Mikey answered.

"Alright, he's extremely delusional." I noted as Donnie grabbed a tube with red liquid.

Pulveriser went over a bump and it caused Donnie to spill some of the liquid. He was able to pour some into the beaker of near dark blue liquid.

"How's his color?" I asked Mikey.

"Green, dude, and I mean way more than usual." He answered.

Donnie poured some purple liquid into the mix, but we were cut short by Pulveriser making sharp turns and sudden moves.

"Whoa! Ow!" I cried, as my head hit the metal beam behind me. I was able to recover and ask, "Does he have any nausea?"

Mikey paused for a second, then answered, "Nah, he doesn't have any-" Then the sound of Raph throwing up gave me the correct answer. Mikey moaned in disgust and spoke up, "No! Check that." Then he shouted, "Ah, what the- I knew you ate my pizza! You liar!"

Donnie poured in the last ingredient and the antidote was ready. The last thing I heard from Mikey was him shouting, "Donnie, Ellie, get here now!"

"Almost there." Donnie said. I hung up my T-Phone. On the monitor, we saw the Shell-Raiser heading for a construction road-block. A portion of the concrete looked like a ramp.

"The road's blocked. We gotta go around." Pulveriser said.

"No time to go around. You gotta jump it." I told him.

"What?" He asked.

I leaned over his shoulder, so Pulveriser could hear me better, "You wanna be a hero, right? Jump it!"

I didn't notice Pulveriser's blushing face, he hesitated to speak up a bit, "Yeah, uh, about the hero thing-"

Instinct kicked in as I grabbed the wheel and shouted, " _JUMP IT!_ "

The Shell-Raiser picked up speed and it over the ramp, flying in the air and crashing into Stockman's warehouse. Donnie aimed the roof's Smelly Sock Cannon at a humanoid fish with robotic legs and a breathing contraption on his back, and fired a cannonball. Donnie opened the doors and we ran toward Raph, who was on the floor, moaning a bit.

I helped Raph sit up with my knee supporting his back. "Raph, you still with us?" I asked the ill Turtle.

Raph looked at me and kissed me on the cheek. My face went red out surprise and embarrassment. I didn't notice Leo and Pulverizer's jealous and angry expressions.

"Raph!" Donnie called.

Raph looked at Donnie, "Donnie?"

"Yeah, Raph." Donnie replied.

"Why are there fingers on my feet?" Raph asked, looking at his feet, acting like nothing happened.

I lightly giggled, then looked at the ill Turtle, "Hang in there, Raph. You're gonna be okay."

Donnie injected the antidote and Raph quickly returned to normal. He smiled at looked at me, "Uh, thanks, magical unicorn."

I smiled and help him back to his feet. Mikey and Leo smiled in relief to see their brother back to normal. I gave Raph a hug. I was glad it wasn't too serious. I didn't notice Raph's blushing red face.

"That was awesome! We saved him!" Pulveriser exclaimed in excitement.

My relief turned to annoyance and anger. I let go of Raph and looked at Pulveriser, "'We' saved him? You wanted to stop and sell ice cream! If I hadn't jumped and smashed through that wall-" I started shouting, until Mikey cut me off.

"Uh, Donnie, is the Shell-Raiser supposed to do that?" He asked Donnie, pointing to the Shell-Raiser.

The boys and I looked and saw the Shell-Raiser was streaming and crackling with Kraang pink energy. That's not good. Donnie, Mikey, Leo and I ran into the van and saw the power cell's lead glass casing was cracked.

"It's cracked." Donnie gasped, then grimaced, "Oh, this is bad." He looked at us, "The Kraang can detect that energy signature. We gotta get back underground, before they come looking for the power cell."

With that said, all of us entered the Shell-Raised and made our way back to the Lair. However, along the way, we got surrounded by the Kraang. Three vans behind us, two vans in front of us and a helicopter on top of us. Leo sped past the two vans and they followed us. The Kraangdroids started firing their weapons at us.

"Hold her steady, Leo. I'll take care of these jokers." Raph told Leo. His seat exit the Shell-Raiser, from the back, and he fired manhole covers at the vans.

Suddenly we heard sounds coming the roof. Leo looked at the monitors and saw more Kraangdroids on the roof.

"Guys, the Kraang are on the roof." Leo informed us.

Donnie, Mikey and I made our way to the roof and were shocked with what we saw. The Kraangdroids have plane-like wings and more were flying toward us.

"Leo, Kraang can fly! Kraang can fly!" Mikey shouted. A flying Kraangdroid tackled Mikey off his feet.

"Mikey!" I called.

The flying Kraangdroids began firing their weapons at us. Donnie took out the ones that were landing on the roof, while I took out the flying ones. Leo activated the claws, that were at the front of the Shell-Raiser, and took out the Kraangdroids that were blocking the road. Suddenly, another Kraang van showed up from the corner and took us by surprise. Leo made a sharp turn and rammed the Shell-Raiser into another wall.

The boys, apart from Pulveriser, jumped out of the Shell-Raiser and went into battle with the Kraangdroids. Unfortunately, a Kraangdroid was able to sneak past us and grabbed the power cell. It ran out of the Shell-Raiser and ran past us. Luckily, Leo noticed.

"He's got the cell!" He informed us.

"I'll stop him!" Pulveriser called, chasing after the Kraangdroid.

I was trying to protect myself from the saw part of the Kraangdroid's weapon, when I noticed Pulveriser chasing after the Kraangdroid with the power cell. Is he mad? "Tim, no!" I called.

"I can do this!" He told me.

"You really can't!" I tried to tell him, but he didn't listen to me.

Pulveriser went to his knees, slid toward the Kraangdroid, and caught its legs, trying to perform the technique I taught him. However it didn't work. The Kraangdroid picked Pulveriser up and threw him into a jewelry store door. I looked and noticed the Kraangdroid was entering the helicopter. I pushed the attacking Kraangdroid away and shocked it offline.

"Hey! That's our power source, slime bot!" I called the Kraangdroid, making my way to the helicopter.

I stopped and noticed Pulveriser was in trouble. One of the two Kraangdroids held Pulveriser by his head, and the other one was about to aim its weapon at him.

"Ellie!" Pulveriser called me.

I closed my eyes for a second then focused my goal on keeping Pulveriser safe. I threw one of my eskrima sticks at the weapon, knocking it out of the Kraangdroid's hands, and I shocked it offline with my other eskrima stick.

I grabbed my stick and attacked the Kraangdroid that held Pulveriser, "Get off him!"

We were finished with the Kraangdroids, but the one with the power cell was able to get away. I helped Pulveriser back to his feet, and we watched the helicopter fly off.

"Ah, man. It looks like I mucked everything up, didn't I?" Pulveriser sulked and asked.

Mikey shook his head, "Hey, bro. It's not your fault."

Leo looked at Mikey, "Um, actually, Mikey, it is."

Mikey nodded, "Oh, yeah."

"Not completely." I spoke in Pulveriser's defense, "I'm the one who sent the Shell-Raiser through the wall. And that's what cracked the power cell." I explained, then I looked at Donnie, "I'm really sorry, Donnie."

Donnie gave a forgiving hand over my shoulder and a smile, "You did what you had to."

"Uh, so, you think we could pick up our training again sometime?" Pulveriser asked.

I walked to Pulveriser and put my hand over his shoulder. He blushed, but I said in a strong deadpan tone, "Go home."

Pulveriser sulked, "Fine." Then he smiled, "But I'll be practicing. And I'll be back. And wherever crime may roam, wherever help is-"

"Bye/Go home!" The boys and I told him, cutting him off.

Pulveriser sulked and walked back to his apartment.

Once he was gone, Donnie spoke up, "We've got to figure out how we're getting that power cell back."

Leo looked at the Shell-Raiser, "Which raises the question, how are we going to get the Shell-Raiser home?"

* * *

 _ ***A Little Later, in the Underground Subway...***_

Leo, Raph, Mikey and I have spent the rest of the night trying to get the Shell-Raiser back to the Lair. The first part was easy, due to the wheels. But, once we reached the underground rails, it was hard to move. Like it put on a few tonnes, or the parking break was still on.

"Are you sure the parking break isn't on?" Raph asked Donnie, who was inside the Shell-Raiser.

"For the hundredth time, yes!" Donnie shouted, then the van felt easier to push, "Sorry, guys!" He opened the doors and said in a sheepish tone, "Uh, try it now."

"Donnie/Donatello!" The boys and I cried in annoyance.

The parking break was on!


	17. TCRI

TCRI.

 **Eleanor's POV.**

Hey, veiwers. Ugh. Tonight has not been our night, I'm afraid. Thanks to Pulverizer, the Kraang have taken Leatherhead's power cell, which he entrusted us with. With the Shell-Raiser having no power source, we had to find another way of chasing the Kraang down.

After returning the Shell-Raiser to the lab, in the Lair, the boys and I boarded the patrol buggy and made our way back into the city. Donnie used his 'Kraang-track' app on his T-Phone, and we chased the Kraang in the helicopter. However, the app didn't work very well at first. Now, it's working fine, after a few tweeks.

"Stay on them, Leo. My 'Kraang-App' is tripping out!" Donnie shouted, as we drove down an empty alley, "It's picking up a signal from the power cell."

Leo looked over to Donnie, "Again?" Then returned to the path ahead, "Last time, that thing led us to a burrito in a microwave."

Suddenly, Donnie called, "Left!" Leo and Raph made a sharp left turn and Donnie cries, "Left again." We looked up and saw the helicopter straight ahead of us, "They're getting away. Right!" Donnie shouted again.

We took another sharp right turn and Raph cried, "Look out!"

A large truck was heading straight toward us. This caused Donnie to panic and scream, "Left, right, left, right! Whoa!"

Calmly, Raph, Leo and I pulled the trigger and separated our carts. We drove around the truck and some civilians. It was a good thing we went past them quick enough that they didn't see what we looked like.

We re-combined our carts again and Mikey cheered in excitement, "Yeah. This is more fun than a Shcriners' parade."

Out of confusion, Raph asked, "What are you saying?" I think Mikey's been playing too many video games, or watched too much TV.

Donnie cried, "Left!" And we drove into a dead end.

Leo put on the brakes too hard and the patrol buggy spun out of the control. The speed of the spin caused Donnie drop his T-Phone. It hit the wall and the screen cracked, causing the phone to shut down. The Kraang helicopter flew over our heads and disappeared into the buildings.

"We lost them." Donnie sighed in dismay.

We jumped of the patrol buggy, and Donnie looked at his T-Phone. The screen's crack made it difficult to track down the Kraang and the power cell.

Raph looked at me, "You're an empath, Ellie. Can't you track down the Kraang's aura, or something?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "I've been trying, Raph. But, the Kraang all have the same aura. It gives me a migrane to concentrate that hard."

Leo sighed, "That's it. We're going to see Leatherhead."

"Uh, Leatherhead?" Donnie asked, with fear evident in his voice.

"He's the one who took the power cell from the Kraang. He's the one who might know where to find it." Leo explained.

"He's also the one that likes to grabs my face and shake me like a rag doll!" Donnie shouted in protest.

Mikey laughed at the memories, "Good times."

I couldn't help but giggle at the memories as well. I hate to admit it, but it was humorous when Leatherhead grabs Donnie's face and shakes him. Hehehe.

"Zip it!" Donnie snapped in an annoyed tone, causing me to stop giggling.

"Oh, come on. He's a pussy cat, who likes to grab your face and shake you like a rag doll." Mikey joked.

He laughed, and that earned him a really sharp glare from Donnie. I swear, that glare made me cringe, because it can create a storm if it could.

"Right. Let's move." Mikey spoke up and joined Leo, Raph and I to the patrol buggy.

* * *

 _ ***Later, In Leatherhead's New Lair...***_

The boys and I made our way to Leatherhead's new lair. It took us about ten minutes to get there from the water-way. Mikey kept swimming off to pick up types of trash that he found appealing. The boys and I had to hold our breath.

"Who can hold their breath? We can." Mikey said with a smile, as we got out of the water.

"We wouldn't have to, if you had not kept swimming off to pick up trash." Raph told Mikey.

"One man's trash is another man's treasure." Mikey said, hugging a piece of trash that he had in his hand.

"I'm pretty sure that's every man's trash." Raph commented.

The sound of quiet snoring alarmed us to sudden silence.

"There he is." Leo told us, pointing across from us.

Raph, Donnie, Mikey, Leo and I saw Leatherhead, sleeping. He looked so peaceful when he's asleep.

"We don't want to alarm him, so no-one make any sudden moves." I told everyone in a quiet voice.

"Awww. Look how cute." Mikey said in a cooing voice, aiming to stroke or pet Leatherhead.

I quickly pulled Mikey back, as Leatherhead let out a tiny roar.

"Who's going to wake him up?" Donnie asked.

The boys and I looked at each other. Raph, Leo, Donnie and I called in unison, "Not it!" While Mikey said nothing. We quickly hid in the shadows.

Mikey smiled, "Yes. I win." Then realized what he won; the title of waking up Leatherhead. He gulped.

Leo pushed Mikey toward Leatherhead. He was uncertain. Can't say I blame him. The boys never woke up an American Alligator before, let alone an 8 foot tall Mutant one. To be honest, neither have I.

Mikey walked closer to Leatherhead and gentle poked him with his foot, "Leatherhead? Wakey, wakey, eggs and bacie."

Leatherhead's eyes snapped open and the white membrane was covering his eyes. Oh boy. Leatherhead stood up and roared at Mikey.

"Can we make sudden moves now?" Donnie asked.

Hearing Donnie's voice, Leatherhead dashed toward Leo, Raph, Donnie and I, and grabbed Donnie by the face again. He started shaking him again as well.

"He's grabbing me by the face again!" Donnie shouted.

Leatherhead roared and attacked us, but we jumped out of the way.

Mikey tried to join in, "Leatherhead, don't!"

But, Leatherhead whacked him away with his tail. I read Leatherhead's aura, and I found it was dim, but still noticeable. He was still asleep.

"He must be having a nightmare." I told the boys.

"That makes two of us." Donnie told me.

Leatherhead threw Donnie into the wall across him, and Donnie fell into the water. He aimed to whack his tail at Raph, but Raph ducked and jumped on to his back. Leatherhead was struggling to reach for Raph.

"He's your friend, you two. What do we do?" Raph called to me and Mikey, then asked.

"Rub his belly. He likes that." Mikey answered.

"What are you saying?" Raph asked, unable to hear his younger brother.

Leatherhead was able to get Raph off his back, by backing into the wall behind him. Leo tried to join the fight, but the impact of Leatherhead's tail forced him back into the water. I had to calm Leatherhead down.

"Leatherhead!" I called, getting his attention, "Easy. It's okay. It's me. Eleanor." I told the sleep-attacking alligator in a calm and gentle tone.

He jumped on to the ceiling and climbed his way toward me. He grabbed me and picked me up to his level, so he could roar at me. He raised his free claws. I stared at him, unphased and calm. Leatherhead blinked his eyes. The white membrane was gone and his aura lightened up, indicating he was awake. He groaned a bit, rubbing his head, and looked at me.

"Eleanor?" He recognized me. He looked around and saw the boys, hurt. "My friends." He put me down, "Oh no. I got angry again, didn't I?" He grimaced and asked.

"Yes, you did it again!" Donnie shouted. Then he asked out of frustration, "Why do you keep grabbing my face? What is wrong with my face?"

"Would you like to list it all alphabetically or in the order of grossness?" Raph asked, wringing the water out of his bandana mask tails.

"I am sorry. You are my friends. The only ones I can trust. That's why I gave you the power cell for safe-keeping." Leatherhead apologised, then told us with a smile.

There's the ice-breaker. The boys and I looked at eachother and didn't know how to break the news to Leatherhead. Donnie stuttered and backed behind Leo. Leo was able to speak up, "About that..."

Mikey spoke up, "Funny story. True story."

Leatherhead started to look concerned, so I spoke up, "But before we tell you, why don't you sit down?"

And Donnie spoke up, "While me, and my face take one big step backwards." He backed up to one of the corners of the lair. "Okay. Go ahead." He told Leo.

"Well, about the power cell, we sort of lost it." Leo started to explain. The white membranes returned over Leatherhead's eyes. Raph, Mikey and I stepped back. "To the Kraang." Leo finished, then he jumped into the water.

Angry, Leatherhead charged toward Donnie, grabbed his face and threw him to the ground. The membranes retreated and Leatherhead was back to normal. I gotta say, I'm impressed with Leatherhead. He's getting better at controlling his anger.

"No, Leatherhead. These are your friends." He told himself. He put Donnie down, sighed and began playing with his cheeks, "Obviously, you did everything you could to protect it."

"Well, to be honest, I was-" Mikey was about to answer, but I stopped him by covering his mouth and lowering his pointed finger.

"Don't fight back. You'll thank me later." I told him

"Yes. That's exactly what happened." Raph answered Leatherhead with an uneasy smile.

"Leatherhead, we need to get it back." Leo told Leatherhead.

"With the power cell, the Kraang can open the portal to Dimension X. And, when it opens..." Leatherhead explained.

"They can use it to bring anything from their home here." Donnie finished.

"Things so horrible, they terrify even me." Leatherhead answered with a nod.

"We need to keep that portal from opening." Leo said.

"Can you tell us where it is?" I asked.

"All I remember is this." Leatherhead answered, then he drew something on the ground.

Donnie took a photo with his T-Phone. The image sparked something in my mind. It felt very familiar to me.

* * *

 _ ***Later, Back in The Lair, in the Lab...***_

I gathered pieces of Donnie's tech that bare the same signature, including the empty canister of Mutagen that gave the boys and Master Splinter their birth and new life.

"I know I've seen this symbol. It's so familiar." I told the boys.

We thought in silence, until Mikey shouted, "The Olympics."

Donnie shook his head, "No."

Then Mikey said again, "I got it. The Olympics."

I glared at Mikey, "Stop guessing." Then I looked at the tech again, "Obviously, it's a Kraang symbol."

"But, from where?" Leo asked. I've been trying to think, but the boys were not helping very much.

"The Olympics!" Mikey answered again.

That's it. I had enough, " **静か** **!** (Shizuka/Quiet!)" I snapped, then explained, "There's something here, and I can figure it out. If you all will leave and give me space to think!"

The boys left me alone. The more I looked at the symbol, the more it continued to baffle me. I know I've seen this symbol. Yet, why can't I recall when or where? Like something you see only once and when you see it again, it feels like deja vu. But, more confusing and you don't know why.

My train of thought was broken by a voice right behind me, "Oh, the Olympics?"

I sighed, "For the hundredth ti-" I turned and saw it was Uncle Splinter. I groaned a bit and explained to him, returning to the symbol, "This thing is driving me crazy. I know I've seen this somewhere else, but I just can't recall when or where."

I felt Splinter place a hand over my shoulder, "You must calm your mind and wait. You are a ninja, Eleanor. The word 'Nin' means patience and perseverence. Deep breath." He told me. Then he took a deep breath, "Breathe."

I nodded, took his advise and took a deep breath. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. Then, I gasped as the memory came to me like lightning. I can't believe I missed that! I quickly ran out the lab and grabbed my ninja gear. I didn't notice Splinter's surprised and worried look when I ran past him.

* * *

 _ ***Later, in the City...***_

I dashed across the rooftops. The boys following me close behind. I can't believe I missed that memory. My father's former work place. My mother and I went into the building to give Father his lunch. We were caught by the other co-workers, Kraangdroids, and we were barely able to escape. I was only 4 and a half at that time. Father and Mother told me to never go into the building ever again. Sorry, but this occasion calls for me to break that rule.

"Ellie, hold on." I heard Leo call from behind me.

I said nothing and kept jumping from rooftop to rooftop.

"I hate it, when she's like this." I heard Raph commented. Get used to it, Raph. I'll be doing this quite often.

I stopped and got Donnie's T-Phone, "I remember, now, where else I've seen this." I told the boys.

"Where?" Leo asked.

I pointed to the building I was leading the boys to; the Techno Cosmic Research Industries building, or better known as...

"TCRI? They're behind the Kraang plot?" Raph asked me.

"The invasion?" Leo asked.

"The Olympics?" Mikey asked, then got slapped by Raph again, "What was that?"

"A new Olympic event." Raph answered.

"They've been in plain sight the whole time. We just never realized it." Donnie summarized with a gasp.

"I think it's pretty obvious what we have to do. We're going in and taking down that portal." Leo told us.

* * *

 _ ***The Next Day, back in The Lair...***_

The boys and I returned to The Lair, and began forming a plan on getting into TCRI and destroying the portal. I informed April and she wanted to help us out. So she came to The Lair, with a blueprint chart. Donnie had just finished creating a pack of explosives that should be enough to destory the portal. Leo, Raph, April, Splinter and I were around the dining table, while Mikey and Donnie were near the counters, giving the finishing touches to the explosives.

"Can I touch that?" Mikey asked Donnie.

Donnie smiled, "Sure." Then muttered in a deadpan tone, "If you wanna blow us and the whole Lair to pieces."

Mikey stopped himself and squeaked, "Nah. I'm good."

"I managed to download the blueprints for TCRI. Now, the bottom two thirds are just a normal office building. And, from what I can tell, normal humans work there." April explained to us, pointing to the most detailed of the blueprints.

"Imagine if they know who they were working for." Leo said, then mimicked a Kraang voice, "The ones, who are working in this place, must punch the card, that is known as the Time Card, into the clock, that is known as the Clock of Time."

April, Splinter and Raph gave him a blank face. I couldn't help but giggle at Leo's attempt. He can be funny, if you give him a chance. Leo looked at me, noticed me giggling, and blushed. I couldn't help but blush as well.

Leo lightly chuckled, and returned to the task at hand, "Sorry. Where were we?" I stopped giggling myself and turned serious.

Splinter looked at April, "What about the upper floors?"

"That's the thing. The top third is completely blank." April answered, pointing to the blank top of the blueprints.

I pointed my tanto at the area, "Whatever they built up there, they didn't want anyone to know about it."

Must've been why my father was fired. He got too curious. Good thing he kept his other job as a detective. He was undercover anyway.

"Which means, that is exactly where you have to go." Master Splinter told us.

I think Raph got bored of our meeting, so he sneaked behind Donnie and Mikey. He shouted, "Boom!" And Mikey and Donnie fell from the startle.

Raph laughed, earning glares from his younger brothers.

"Watch it, fool!" Mikey snapped at Raph.

I returned to the task at hand. "First, we need to figure out how to get past security in the Lobby." Leo pointed out.

April sighed, "Tricky. It's not like we can pack you in a box, and send a special delivery."

Leo looked at April and smiled. I thought for a second, then I smiled. That's not a bad idea, April. April and Splinter looked at us in slight confusion.

* * *

 _ ***Later, inside TCRI...***_

 **April O'Neil's POV.**

I can't believe I'm doing this. But, of course I have to. I walked into the TCRI lobby, pushing a cart with a large box, which contained my friends and their friend.

"Special delivery." I called. I used a yo-yo to open the elevator, and pushed the box into it. "Good luck, guys." I whispered, as the box entered the elevator and the doors closed.

"I must ask you to leave." I heard the bounty hunter, Ms. Campbell, tell me. Then she grabbed my arm, "We are closed right now."

I tried to force out of her grip, but her grip was too strong. Then, I was surrounded by Kraangdroids.

"The package that is delivered to us, by you, will not be delivered, by you, to us. Because you will be stopped, by us, before you-" One of the Kraangdroids started to threaten.

But, I cut him off, "Love to chat, but I've gotta run."

I flashed my T-Phone at Ms. Campbell, blinding her and spun my yo-yo above my head. The Kraangdroids backed away, giving me space to run. It was able to escape the building before the emergency lockdown gate lowered to a complete close.

I made my way back to the Lair, but not without yelling, "Open with care, Kraang-chumps!"

* * *

 **Eleanor's POV.**

I can't believe that worked. The boys, Leatherhead and I were safe inside the box, until the elevator was put to a stop and lowered to the lobby again. I heard the Kraangdroids speaking from the other side of the door.

"Kraang, prepare to destroy the thing, that is needing to be destroyed, by Kraang." A Kraangdroid instructed.

I looked down at Leatherhead, "Leatherhead, that's your cue." Then I asked out of worry, "Are you sure you can handle this?"

"I'll be alright. Don't worry about me." He assured me.

We heard the door open. Leatherhead dashed out of the box and started attacking the Kraangdroids. The boys and I exit the elevator from the hatch on top.

"I kinda feel bad leaving Leatherhead down there." Mikey shared his thoughts.

We heard Leatherhead roar, indicating he was still fighting.

"I think he'll be fine." Leo assured with a smile.

"So, how far to the top?" Raph asked. The boys and I looked up and saw that shaft was so tall, that it faded to black from the sixth level. "Yikes..." Raph spoke up, voicing our thoughts.

There was no time to stand in awe. The boys and I started climbling the walls of the elevator shaft. I was very relieved that Sam wasn't with us. She's an extreme acrophobe. One look down and the height vertigo will take its hold on her and she'll faint. As the boys and I climbed, I heard humming. Mikey was humming a familiar tune.

"Are you humming the Olympics theme?" I asked Mikey.

"It seemed appropriate." He answered with a smiled. I smiled and shook my head.

"Pipe down you two." Raph snapped at us.

He climbed to an elevator door and started to open it. I sensed a number of auras on the other side. Kraang auras. "Raph, don't open that..." I tried to warn, but he opened the door and saw the Kraangdroids, "Door."

Raph yelped and closed the door, "I gotta watch my eyes." Suddenly, the alarm went off, "That's bad."

"Alright!" Mikey cheered with a smile.

"What?" Leo asked.

"Finally someone set off an alarm, and it wasn't me." Mikey answered.

The doors of the upper level opened, to reveal another Kraangdroid. It aimed its weapon at us, and started firing. The boys and I jumped around the elevator shaft, dodging the barrage of lasers. Luckily, Mickey was able gain some height, and used his kusarigama chain to grab the droid and threw it toward the top of the elevator. It fell apart on collision.

"Aw, darn it. I forgot to say 'See you next fall'." Mikey moaned, then he shrugged, "Eh. Next elevator shaft fight."

Unfortunately, that next fight started coming toward us, in the form of a group of Kraangdroids riding an ascending elevator. The droids started firing at us. The boys and I dropped down to fight them off. The Kraangdroids have improved on their fighting skills, but that wasn't enough to stop us from defeating them.

Once we were finished with the droids, Leo spoke up, "Okay. Let's get inside, where it's safe."

Donnie opened the hatch and, inside the elevator, we saw a larger group of Kraangdroids. Ooops. The boys and I yelped and closed the hatch, before the Kraangdroids could hit us.

"I have to stop saying things like that." Leo muttered with a sigh.

Donnie opened the hatch again, and dropped a smoke bomb into the elevator. I disabled the lights, as the bomb created a smokescreen around the droids. Using this opportunity, the boys and I dashed into the elevator and took out the Kraangdroids with ease. The lights went back online, and we just finished defeating the droids.

"Can we, please, just ride this thing to the top now?" Raph asked.

Donnie pushed the final floor button, but the elevator wasn't responding, "We can't. There's a retinal scanner."

"I'm on it." Raph said, as he took the Kraangdroid head, from Mikey, and placed it over the scanner.

The computer replied, "That, which is known as 'access', is granted to Kraang."

The elevator started moving up again.

Mikey smiled, "Hey, this is so much easier."

Raph nodded, "Yeah. Finally a chance to catch our breath."

The elevator reached the destination. The boys and I readied our weapons. The doors opened and we were welcomed by a large cloud of thick, olive green mist. The mist started filling our lungs with a burning sensation, and our vision was starting to get blurry. The boys and I started coughing and gagging.

"Poison gas!" Leo alerted, but it was too late.

The boys fell unconscious around me. The last thing I saw were three floating pink blurs, until the gas made my vision go black and I collapsed.

* * *

 _ ***A little later...***_

I woke up with a throbbing pain in my head. I took a small breath and oxygen filled my lungs. Thank goodness for that. The boys woke up with a groan each, and stood up.

"Well, the good news is, we're still alive." Donnie said, as he walked to look around us.

Leo got up to his feet and asked, "And what's the bad news?"

"That." Donnie answered, as a Kraang flew past him.

The rest of us got to our feet and looked around. We found ourselves in a glass pod, inside a large, metallic room. It looked like a Kraang's base of operations.

"We are deep in Kraang Country." I gasped.

Many Kraang were flying on small cruisers. Must've been them I saw before I blacked out. Three Kraang were on monitors, telling the others what to do. And the entire room was filled with a hazey green mist. The poisoned gas.

Kraang crawled on the pod's wall, near Leo, taking him by surprise.

"We're not in Kansas anymore." Leo said with a small shake of his head.

"I thought we were in New York." Mikey shouted, which earned him a hit at the back of the head by Raph.

I looked over and found something in the center of the base, "The portal!"

The portal was a large, circular platform, with three, large hairdryer-like machines, in a triangular formation.

Donnie looked over and smiled, "It's beautiful." He regained his composure and cleared his throat, "Scientifically, speaking."

"If you love it so much, why dont You marry it?" Raph asked with an annoyed tone.

To add to the tease Mikey asked, "Do you, Donatello, take this Portal to be your-"

But Leo cutt him off, "Knock it off. All of you." He returned to the matter-at-hand, "We need to figure out how to destroy Donnie's bride, over there."

"Yeah, not likely. We're stuck in here. Our weapons are way over there." Raph said with a shake of his head.

Two Kraang were watching our weapons. One of them picked up one of Mikey's nunchucks and began playing with it. He wasn't doing too bad, until he got too confident and hit his head. The Kraang roared at the nunchucks and stormed off, dropping it back into the pile.

"In a room that's filled with, in case you forgot, poisoned gas." Raph finished.

"If it's poisoned, how can they breathe that stuff?" Mikey asked.

"I think it's what the air is like in Dimention X." Donnie placed his thoughts.

"Well, that's stupid." Raph stated, then asked, "Why would you invade a place, where you can't breathe the air?"

Mikey scoffed and smiled, "Yeah. What are they gonna do? Mutate the whole planet, so they could live here, and we can't?"

A bell went off in my head. By the look on Donnie, Leo and Raph's faces, a bell went off as well. "I don't know what's scarier, what you just said or that you said it." I spoke up.

Mikey looked at me, "Wait, wait. What did I say?"

I looked at Raph and Leo, "Leo, Raph. You remember that I said I had a hunch?" They nodded, "That's it. Mikey's right. The Kraang are trying to terraform the Earth into something they can live on." I explained.

"And we can't." Leo finished, "We have to stop them."

"How can we get out of here with these guys watching our every move?" Raph asked, gesturing to the group of Kraang watching us.

"We need a distraction." Leo said.

As luck would have it, the Kraang flew over to the landing dock, and started typing something. As a respond, the portal started warming up and glowing with purple-pink energy. This caught all the other Kraang's attention and drew them toward it.

"Like the portal?" Mikey asked.

"That might do it." Raph answered.

"Once that thing opens up, anything can come through there." Donnie summarized.

That means we have to be quick. I drew out my tanto and threw it to Donnie. Donnie caught it, and began making a soft-spot in the glass.

Leo looked at his youngest brother, "Mikey, you said you can hold you're breath?"

Mikey smiled, "Like a turtle do."

"Now's your chance." Leo told him.

The boys and I took in a very deep breath, and held it. Mikey retreated into his shell, and Leo and Raph hit the soft-spot with Mikey. On the last push, Mikey was able to break out of the pod and took out two of the Kraang. The other boys and I jumped out and made our way to our weapons.

The Kraang fired lasers at us, but narrowly dodged and defeated them with hand-to-hand combat. Leo kicked a Kraang toward the window and it cracked upon impact with the alien. That gave me an idea. I stomped my tail to the ground, to get the boys' attention. They looked at me, and I pointed to the cracked window. They nodded in understanding and we began attacking the Kraang.

Mikey took down two Kraang. He kicked a Kraang toward the window, and its laser hit the window, causing the crack to worsen. Leo, Raph, Mikey and I grabbed our weapons. Donnie was standing on his own. Raph threw Donnie his staff, and Donnie whacked an incoming Kraang into the window, like a baseball. The impact created a large hole, and the mist was sucked out of the room.

Once to mist was gone, the boys and I could breathe again.

"We're good. Let's go." Leo told us.

However, the sound of high-pitched humming caught our attention, as we looked at the portal. The center was glowing an orb of purple, pink and white energy.

"The portal! We're too late!" Donnie alerted.

"Something's coming through." Leo added.

The orb vanished, and something black and rock-like was kneeling in its place. It stood up to reveal to be 20 feet tall, and a statue entirely made of rock and lava. Now, I've seen everything.

"Welcome to Earth, Giant Rockman." Mikey greeted the rock-giant.

The giant roared at us, and attacked us with a stomp of its foot.

"Scatter!" Leo instructed.

The boys and I jumped out of the way. We scattered and the giant started attacking us one at a time.

Donnie back-flipped for some distance, and smiled, "Wow. An entity made of living rock. Wish I could study him."

Donnie and I tried to attack the giant, but the attacks backfired on us. The rock is very hard. Probably obsidian.

"Study him after we smash into a million pieces." Leo told Donnie. He tried attacking the giant, but the rock broke one of his katanas in half, "Or not."

The giant reached for Leo, but he jumped out of the way. Mikey and Raph tried to double-team the giant. As an attack, the giant barfed lava toward them. Mikey and Raph were able to dodge it.

"Watch out for the lava barf!" Raph alerted us.

He ran up a wall and tried to attack from above. However the giant caught him.

Raph tried kicking it in the face, but it did nothing, "Ah, shoot!"

The giant threw Raph into a hairdryer part of the portal, and he fell to the ground with a thud. The giant turned its attention to Donnie, Mikey and myself. With one sweep of its arm, the giant threw us toward Raph. The rock is definitely obsidian. The attack felt like I was hit by a rampaging bull.

The giant walked toward us, aiming to finish us off. Until Leo ran in front of it and threw three smoke bombs into its face. This temperarily blinded the giant, got it angry and turned its attention to Leo. It tried to grab him, but Leo was too quick.

I shook everyone back to consciousness and told them, if we all attack at once, we might be able to knock the giant down long enough to think of a better stratedgy. Raph, Donnie and Mikey nodded in understanding, and we waited for the right moment to strike.

Leo lead it toward a wall, and the giant punched large hole in the wall behind Leo. Leo was able to dodge the attack and folded his arms at the giant. That was the opportune moment.

"Booyakasha!" Mikey cried, as he, Donnie, Raph and I knocked the giant down with a combined kick.

The giant fell on its back, but it started getting back up again. I started sensing a familiar, faint, but approaching aura coming from the elevator. Perfect timing.

"Do we have anything that can hurt this thing?" Raph asked.

"The explosives might do it, but then we won't be able to take out the portal." Donnie answered.

"Unless, we to both at the same time." I spoke up. Then I reached out my hand, "Hand them over, Don."

Donnie gave me the explosives and I put the bag over my shoulder. The giant stood up again. Mikey threw a smoke bomb and we hid in the shadows of the room. The giant looked around for us. Once its back was turned to me. I jumped out of the shadows and placed the back around its neck, with the explosives on its back, where it can't reach them. I jumped down and regrouped with the boys.

"Awesome, Elle." Mikey said with a smile. I smiled back.

But the giant wasn't moving anywhere. It was still trying to get the explosives off.

"So, how do we get him into the portal?" Mikey asked.

"I'm waiting for it to come to us." I answered.

"What to come to us?" Raph asked.

The elevator alarm sounded, and the doors opened. "Him." I answered in a simple tone.

A destroyed Kraangdroid flew out of the elevator, and our friend walked out with a small snarl.

"Leatherhead!" Mikey cheered with a smile, as the rest of us smiled.

"Traag!" Leatherhead shouted, getting the giant's attention.

The giant, Traag, turned to look at Leatherhead. Leatherhead roared and threw the Kraangdroid toward it. Traag blocked, then Leatherhead charged toward it and tripped it over with his tail. He grabbed its leg and began throwing it about. Well, being an 8-foot-tall Mutant American Alligator does have its perks.

"Leatherhead, get him by the portal." Donnie told Leatherhead.

Leatherhead nodded and threw Traag into the center of the portal. He roared at Donnie, and Donnie activated the detination. The explosives exploded, creating a large cloud of smoke and the aftershock blew debris all around the area.

"We did it!" Donnie smiled.

"Yeah!" Leo cheered.

"Booyah!" I shouted with a smile.

"Alright!" Raph exclaimed.

"High three!" Mikey smiled.

Then we heard familiar humming, as the smoke began to clear.

"What the-?" Leo began.

The smoke cleared to reveal the portal was still in one piece, and had a glowing force-field around it, before it faded.

"Still standing?" Donnie asked.

"The old invisible force-field trick? Are you kidding me?" I asked in slight frustration.

"High three cancelled." Mikey said.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Donnie asked.

"I could punch you a few times, but I don't think that's gonna do it." Raph answered.

I looked at Traag and alerted the boys, "Guys. We've got bigger problems."

The boys looked and saw that Traag was rebuilding itself.

"Well, this day can't get any worse." Raph sighed.

Traag put its head back on to its body and the portal started humming again, indicating that it was opening again.

"And it just did." Raph finished.

"Something else might come through." Donnie alerted.

Traag stayed on the platform, staring at us, as the purple, pink and white energy started appearing behind it.

"What do we do now?" Donnie asked.

Leatherhead roared, catching our attention, and made his way to the portal. He tackled Traag to the platform and started attacking its face, preventing it from moving. What is going on in that alligator's head?

"Leatherhead, something else is coming through." Mikey told our alligator friend.

"Not if I can help it." Leatherhead answered.

He gave Traag a final hit and began dragging it into the portal, taking himself with it.

No...

"Leatherhead, please, no!" I cried as my heart sank.

Leatherhead looked back at us, "Farewell, my friends." And he entered the portal.

"Leatherhead, no!" Mikey cried.

The portal engulfed Leatherhead and Traag and imploded. The shockwave blew the boys and I a few feet from the portal. We got back to our feet, and the portal was offline.

"Leatherhead... I can't believe he's gone." Mikey said with a sad sulk.

I gave him a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. We'll find a way to get him back.

"We've got to get out of here." Leo told us.

"We can't just leave." Donnie argued, "With that portal operational, the Kraang are more dangerous than ever." He explained, "We have to destroy it."

The elevator alarm went off again. This time, Kraangdroids walked out and started firing their weapons at us.

"Maybe later." Leo told Donnie, as we dodged the barrage of lasers, and made our way to the hole that Traag made.

Leo aimed his grappling hook, "We'll be back." Then fired it across the street.

We zip-lined down the rope, and we quickly made our back to the Lair.

* * *

 _ ***Later... Back at the Lair...***_

The boys and I returned to the Lair with a low sulk. We entered through the toll gates. April and Splinter heard and saw us come in.

April smiled, "You're okay."

Splinter stood up and greeted, "Welcome home, my children." The he asked, "Was your mission successful?"

Leo, Raph and I sat on the couch.

"I'm afraid not, Sensei. Leatherhead is gone." Leo answered with a sad tone.

Mikey sat beside me. The rest of us sulked in silence for Leatherhead. April gave Donnie a sympathetic hand over his shoulder.

"Yeah, but he saved us." Mikey spoke up, then he announced, holding up a strange flash drive with a Kraang symbol on it, "And I found this."

"Oh, good. Now you're picking up alien trash." Raph sighed.

Donnie saw the drive and took it from Mikey, "Do you realize what this is?"

"Shiny." Mikey answered with a smile.

"It's a Kraang data storage device." Donnie explained, "If I can decode it, maybe it can help us find a way to stop it."

With that said, Donnie dashed off to his lab.

* * *

 _ ***A little later...***_

Donnie's been in his lab for over half an hour. Leo and I explained to Splinter and April what we found out about the Kraang's invasion and what they plan to do with our planet.

"It just doesn't make sense." April spoke up, then wondered, "If the Kraang are trying to terraform the Earth, what do they need my dad for?"

"Well, he is a scientist." Leo pointed out.

"True, but Kirby's a psychologist." I explained.

"He studies rats running through mazes." April added, then turned to Uncle Splinter, "No offense."

Uncle Splinter shrugged his shoulders, "I like a good maze."

"My dad wouldn't know anything about what they're trying to do." April finished.

"If they didn't need your dad, why were they after him in the first place?" Raph asked from above us.

Donnie left his lab and spoke up, "I don't think they were."

Donnie lead all of us to his lab computer, to show us what he found.

"I used the Kraang processor, inside Metalhead, to access this storeage device." Donnie explained, "A lot of the files are damaged, but I think I found what they're after."

Donnie finished typing and images of a ginger-haired girl appeared on the screen. Images of April.

April gasped, "They're after me?"

Donnie shook his head, "It's not just you, April. There's another file here. They were looking for someone else. But, it's labled deceased." He explained.

"Disease? I hope it's not contagious." Mikey yelped and took a step back.

I shook my head and chuckled, "Deceased, Mikey. Means dead."

Mikey nodded, "Oh."

April's images were replaced by an anthropomorphic, female reptile, wearing a traditional **巫女** (Miko/Priestess) uniform. I looked at the image and saw the reptile had deep green eyes. Similar to Raph's.

My eyes widen in shock. I knew those eyes.

"Mother?"


	18. Cockroach Terminator

Cockroach Terminator.

 **Eleanor's POV.**

Hello again, veiwers. Long time, no see. It's been a while since the boys and I tried to take down T.C.R.I, Leatherhead going to Dimension X, and finding out the Kraang are after April, and my mother was a Mutant, which I'm still trying to get over. Kinda explains a bit really. But more on that another time.

Right now, Donnie is in his lab starting one of his experiments. Leo, Raph, Mikey and I are in the kitchen, and Leo was serving supper; Miso Ramen.

"Let's go, Leo. I'm starving!" Mikey said, as Leo was just starting to serve.

Leo walked over to the dining table and gave us a bowl of ramen each.

"Yea, boi! Ramen." Mikey cheered with a smile and picking us his chopsticks.

I put my hands together and smiled, " **頂きます** **.** (Itadakimasu/Let's eat.)"

I picked up my chopsticks and started eating. After a few seconds, Leo, Mikey, Raph and I were greeted by a little cockraoch with a camera on its head, and a small battery on its back. It looked at Leo, who just stared at it. It looked over to me, I gently waved with a smile. It looked at Mikey, who looked at it. Then it crawled on to Raph's chopsticks.

Raph saw the cockroach and, by surprise and fear, screamed. The cockroach was able to land on the table safely and it looked at Raph.

Raph cried, "Roach! Roach!"

Raph stared at the roach, and slowly reached for one of his sai. Once he grabbed it, he started attacking the poor roach. The roach was, luckily, faster than Raph.

Before I could do anything, Donnie came running in with his laptop in his hands, "Stop! Stop, you'll smash him!"

"That's the idea!" Raph told Donnie.

Donnie put his laptop down and laid his hand over the ground. The cockroach quickly crawled on to Donnie's hand, and Donnie picked it up and cupped his hands around it in a protective manner.

"You can't smash this roach, ok?" Donnie told Raph. He un-cupped his hands and started petting the roach, "He's special." He looked at Raph, showed him the roach and smiled, "Really special."

The roach waved at Raph, who just stepped back in fear. I walked over to the roach and started petting him, "Aaaww. He's so cute, Donnie."

The roach squeaked, politely shook my finger, and jumped on to my snout. I giggled, as his feelers tickled.

Raph looked at me, "You're not grossed out by bugs?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "I'm kinda the type of girl that wears her worst to her prom."

"Okay, I'm going to regret this, but why is he special, Donnie?" Leo muttered, then asked. The roach jumped back on to Donnie's hand.

"Because I outfitted him with a remote-controlled camera helmet!" Donnie answered.

Leo smiled and folded his arms, "Wow, that explains why you're special."

"We can send him into TCRI and spy on the Kraang. The camera allows us to see whatever the cockroach sees." Donnie explained.

"Kinda like an undercover spy, huh?" I summarized. Donnie nodded. Then something hit me, "Hey! That's what we'll call him; 'Spyroach'. Or 'Spyro' for short."

"'Spyro'?" Donnie asked.

"You'll find out why later." I answered.

Leo, Raph, Mikey and I joined Donnie around his laptop, to see his demonstration. The screen showed us a green, camera-like video, and Raph screaming as he saw the cockroach, Spyro.

Mikey laughed, unaware of the irony, "That is awesome. Big, tough Raph is scared of cockroaches." Okay, scratch that.

I looked at Raph, "Raph, you have _kastaridaphobia_?"

Raph raised a brow, "What?"

"Fear of cockroaches." Donnie translated.

"I am not." Raph retorted.

"Oh, really? Let's go to the video." Mikey challenged. He rewound the video and played it again, "This is my favorite part, right here." It played the moment Raph screamed, and Mikey paused it, "Donnie, can I get this on a t-shirt?"

Angry and annoyed, Raph looked at Mikey, "Want to see my favorite part?"

Raph grabbed Mikey and threw him over the table. I quickly grabbed Donnie's laptop and moved out of the way. Mikey flew over the table and hit his back on the counter.

Donnie returned to the matter-at-hand with a smile, "We're going to spy on the Kraang with a cockroach!"

Spyro cheered. Of course, being the type of leader that wanted things done yesterday, Leo encouraged us go to TCRI now. The boys and I got our ninja gear, and hopped into the Shell-Raiser. We made our way toward TCRI, Leo parked the Shell-Raiser in the alley across from the building, and Donnie set Spyro off to his first mission.

The other boys and I gathered around Donnie's monitor, as Spyro crawled on the outside walls.

"Come on, roach number one. Make papa proud." Donnie said with a small smile, as he controlled the other functions of Spyro's spy-gear.

Donnie activated the spin-saw, to make a small hole, for Spyro to enter the building. Spyro entered the building and started crawling around the area.

"You're doing good, Spyro." I said with a small smile, as Spyro crawl toward two Kraangdroids.

"Kraang has been on a diet known as 'gluten-free'. Kraang has already lost 13 Kraang units of weight." A Kraangdroid told another. The Kraang are more oblivious than I thought. They never noticed Spyro for a second glance.

Realizing that wasn't the info he was looking for, Spyro crawled over to a ceiling pillar and crawled toward a large tank of Mutagen, and two more Kraangdroids. They were in front of a hot pink, holographic image of a drill and an underground target.

"Wait, what are those guys talking about?" Leo asked, pointing to the two droids, "Can you get closer?"

Donnie positioned the camera to the prefered angle, and the Kraangdroids started talking.

"That, which is known as, the next phase of the Kraang invasion to the planet, known as Earth, will soon begin." The first Kraangdroid spoke up.

"Next phase?" Leo noted, then turned to Donnie and myself, "That doesn't sound good."

We returned to the droids' conversation.

"That, which is the laser drill, will drill a hole in the planet, known as Earth. That is a hole that is 30 miles deep in the Earth." The droid continued.

Donnie connected his T-Phone to the computer and downloaded the plans.

"Whoa, whoa. They are going to burrow a hole into Earth?" Donnie gasped.

"I'm guessing that's bad." Leo voiced his thoughts.

"Unless you think the city needs a giant lava fountain." Donnie told Leo.

"That's all the through the Earth's crust and into the Upper Mantle." I explained.

Leo nodded to the conclusion, "Yep, that's bad."

"Goodbye, harsh winters." Raph spoke up.

"Lava surfing rules." Mikey cheered, not understanding what lava really is.

"It definitely doesn't, Mikey." I told Mikey.

"We have to stop this!" Leo told us.

Then the Kraangdroids spoke up again, "To execute the plan, Kraang needs to possess that, which is known as the diamond lens, to make work the drilling of the laser drill."

"What does that mean?" Raph asked.

"They need a diamond lens to make their laser drill work." I translated.

"Now shhh!" Donnie told us.

"Kraang is already on the way to that, which is called the laboratory, that is having the lens that is needed by Kraang." The droids continued.

Raph looked at me, "What?"

I sighed, "One of them is going to a lab to get it!"

"Which lab?" Raph asked.

"Maybe, if we listen, they'll tell us!" Donnie shouted, throwing his controller into the air.

Spyro seemed have lost his balance and fell. The camera helmet lost its signal, and all we saw was static.

"Thanks a lot, Raph. We lost the signal!" Donnie scolded at Raph.

Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain surge through my head. Like something was suddenly implanted into my head. I shook my head a bit and returned to the mission. Donnie was working out the hints on the downloaded blueprints of the drill.

"I think I found the diamond lab." Donnie told us, as he found a map on the prints, "Now, it's a bit blurry but maybe we can follow it to the laboratory."

I took a look at the map and gasped, "That's Tribunal Jewelers." The boys looked at me, "It was a jewelry manufacture, that also served as a research lab. It was shut down five years ago." I explained with a small shrug.

"Wow. You really know a lot about this city, don't you?" Raph asked in a sarcastic tone, folded arms and a glare.

I glared back at him, "I didn't spend most of my life hiding in the sewers, Raphael."

Raph growled at me, balling his hand into a fist, ready to punch me.

Until Leo spoke up, "Enough, both of you." Leo told me and Raph, "We don't have much time till the Kraang drill fires. Let's go!"

We all returned to our stations, and Leo started following the map. Our trip was cut short, as Leo ran over a large bump and the Shell-Raiser landed with a loud ka-thump. The Shell-Raiser running over the bump caused my sides feel like they were being crushed. But, I wasn't outside the truck, or under it.

"'Ka-Thump'?!" Leo exclaimed, bringing the Raiser to a stop.

"That's a really bad sound." Donnie spoke up.

"It sounded more like a 'ba-dump'." Mikey said.

"I heard a 'flap'." Raph said.

"Flap?" Donnie and Mikey asked, which earned them a slap across the face.

"Flap." Raph answered.

The boys and I exit the Shell-Raiser, to see what we ran over. It was a bit of a mess, but we saw a curled up, cyborg cockroach around the same size as Raph. The aura was still flaring, which meant it was still alive.

"What is that?" Leo asked.

"Smells like a butt sandwich." Mikey commented.

Raph covered his mouth, trying not to barf. Donnie and I examined the cyborg roach. It wasn't really in bad shape, but it was hit hard.

"Oh, dear." Donnie muttered, as he checked the injuries.

I checked the exoskeleton and found something familiar, "Donnie, would you look at this."

"Hideous and beautiful." Donnie said with a small smile, as he poked it with his pencil. He tapped the corner of his mouth in thought, with his pencil, "It's-" Then he was cut-off by the end of the pencil being covered in gunk, "Blah!"

"So, what is it, Donnie?" Leo asked.

Donnie rubbed the gunk off and answered, lifting a techno-organic spin-saw, "It's Spyro."

"What? WHAT?!" Raph exclaimed, voice and aura surrounded in fear.

"The poor little guy must have been exposed to some Mutagen." I summarized, as I stroked his head.

"You see how the nab helmet merged with his exoskeleton?" Donnie asked us, then he pointed out, "We have never seen organic and inorganic matter fused in-in-in such an ama-"

Raph cut Donnie off in rushed tone, standing by the entrance of the Shell-Raiser, "That's great, Donnie, we can discuss this some more when we're driving away at a thousand miles an hour."

Leo, Mikey and I walked over to Raph with annoyed looks, "Come on, you big baby. What are you worried about? We creamed it with our van. It's not like it's going to get up and come after us!" Mikey pointed out.

"Uh, guys?!" Donnie called from behind us.

Leo, Mikey and I turned and saw Spyro was up and walking, and he had Donnie pinned to the ground. Spyro picked Donnie off the ground and looked at us.

"Or maybe it would." Mikey grimaced.

Raph yelped in fright. Spyro threw Donnie five feet away from him, and started walking toward the Shell-Raiser. Mikey, Donnie, Leo and I tried to hold Spyro back, but he was too strong for them.

"This thing's tough." Leo noted.

"Naturally. Cockroaches are among the most resilient life forms on the planet." Donnie explained.

"And the grossest." Mikey added. Hearing that, Spyro whacked Mikey away, and into a trashcan, across the alley. "Sensitive roach." Mikey commented.

Leo looked at me, "I can see why you called him Spyro, Ellie."

I nodded. Then something came to me. Spyro is not artificial. He's techno-organic. I can calm him down. I jumped a few feet from Spyro, withdrew my weapons, and took a deep breath.

"Spyro, stop!" I told the cyborg roach.

Hearing my words and tone, Spyro stopped dead in his tracks.

I walked toward him and slowly raised my hand to him, "It's alright. We can help you work this out."

Leo and Donnie let Spyro go, as I got closer. Spyro looked at me and lowered his head. His aura showed me his fear, anger and confusion.

I gently smiled, "Tell you what, you come with us and I'll treat you to one of my mother's original chocolate chip caramel cookies. How's that?"

Spyro looked at me, then moved his head into my hand. I petted him and he purred, "Good boy."

Leo spoke up, as he noticed something, "Where's Raph?"

From inside the Shell-Raiser, Raph appeared on his manhole cover cannon, "Eat hot manhole cover!"

Raph began shooting. Spyro pushed me behind him and endured most of the manhole covers that hit him. Raph got lucky, and a manhole cover hit Spyro dead in his face. Spyro fell on his back and blacked out.

"Spyro!" I cried. I ran over to him and knealt down to my knees, "You alright buddy?"

As a response, Spyro's third arm and antenna twitched. Raph shouted and started blindly firing manhole covers at the wall behind Spyro.

I walled in front of Spyro and shouted at Raph, "Raph, stop!"

However, Raph didn't hear me. And his last manhole cover hit me square in the face.

I heard Leo call out to me, "Ellie!"

I fell onto the ground with a light thud. I felt very light-headed and my body felt cold. Everything around me went blurry and began darkening. I could only hear mumbles and low voices, untill I couldn't hear anything anymore.

* * *

 **Leo's POV.**

I just calmed Raph down, from his blind, rapid barrage of manhole covers. He gave Spyro one last hit, of course. But, he hit Ellie smack in her face. Ellie wasn't looking so good. I ran over to her and gently picked up her head.

"Ellie, are you okay?" I asked.

"Did... Did anyone catch a look at that swamp beast?" Ellie asked, then she blacked out.

I checked her heartbeat. It was still beating. Thank goodness for that.

Donnie glared at Raph, "Way to go, Raph! You knocked out our only way to calm Spyroach down!"

Raph looked away sheepishly, then he looked at the Spyroach, "What do we do with it?"

"Forget the roach!" I told Raph, as I picked Ellie up in a piggy-back style, "We've got to stop the Kraang before they destroy the Earth."

I carried Ellie into the Shell-Raiser, as Raph spoke up, "Leo's right. We've got to go."

"You just want to get away from that thing." Mikey pointed out to Raph, as I lied Ellie on the bed of her station, placed a damp cloth over her forehead, then started the Shell-Raiser.

"Is that so wrong?" Raph asked, then he grimaced, "Oh, no. It's gone!" He pushed Donnie and Mikey into the van, "Come on, guys, we've got to move."

With everyone inside and in their station, I drove down the road, following Donnie's map to, what Ellie informed us, Tribunal Jewelers.

When we arrived, we saw a white van, parked in front of the back door.

"There's the van!" Donnie announced, as we stopped near the van.

Kraangdroids were just leaving the building with a strongbox.

"They must have picked up the lens." Donnie summarized.

Raph looked at me, and shouted, "Ram that sucker!"

I put the Shell-Raiser on full drive, and charged it toward the van. With a large impact, the Shell-Raiser knocked the van into the air and it landed on its side.

Two disguised Kraangdroids, and a few more exit the van. My brothers and I exit the Shell-Raiser and drew out our weapons.

"Halt, Kraang!" I told the aliens.

"The halting of Kraang is not a thing, that the one ones who are Turtles, will be doing to Kraang." A disguised Kraangdroid told me.

"Wrong. The halting of Kraang is exactly the thing, that the ones who are-" I told the Kraang, but I noticed I was talking like them and corrected myself, "Just halt!"

"Which do we save first? The world or the English language?" Donnie asked in a sarcastic tone.

Raph grabbed the box, and returned to us, "I've got the lens."

Suddenly, Spyroach arrived and landed on top of one of the Kraangdroids. Raph yelped and hid behind Mikey, Donnie and I. Spyroach cracked his neck and drew out his weapon; A Kraang lazer-gun.

The Kraang fired their weapons at Spyroach, but none of them made a dent in his exoskeleton. Spyro fired a shot at each droid, and the droids fell to the ground, offline. Spyro jumped down from the top of the van, and looked at my brothers and me.

Where's Ellie when you need her? Oh yeah, that's right. Raph knocked her out-cold!

"Mikey, Donnie, you take the roach." I told Mikey and Donnie. They nodded and dashed toward Spyro. "Raph, you're coming with me." I told Raph. I got no answer from him. I looked behind me and Raph wasn't there. I began looking around, "Raph? Raph!"

I didn't have time to find him, so I picked up the box with the diamond lens, and began dragging it back to the Shell-Raiser. However, flying Kraangdroids arrived and started firing their weapons at me. I dropped the box and started running.

"Raph, where are you? Raph, are you hearing me? Raph?" I called out to Raph. But, I still got no reply.

What would Ellie do in this situation? What would she do?

I looked around and found a few advantages. I threw a few shuriken stars at the walls. The stars deflected and were able to distract the flying droids. I climbed up a fire escape, pounced onto the droids, grounding them, and defeated them by removing their heads. I saw another flying Kraangdroid fly over my head, and I saw he had the diamond lens in its hand.

Terrific.

I returned to the Shell-Raiser, where Mikey and Donnie were cheering. That must mean they were able to defeat Spyro.

Donnie looked at Raph, "Now, where's the diamond?"

Raph scratched the back of his head, until I spoke up, "Raph lost it." My brothers turned and saw me. "Raph, where were you?" I asked Raph.

"I was busy." He answered with a small shrugg.

"Busy cowering in terror!" I corrected, removing a Kraangdroid head from my katana. Raph lowered his head. "We have got to find the drill before the Kraang cracks open Manhattan like an egg!" I told everyone.

We returned into the Shell-Raiser. I check on Ellie's condition. The cloth was dry again. I dampened it again and replaced it over her forehead. Ellie looked so peaceful, but she was out-cold. The indigo-purple markings were starting to appear on her body again. I hope she wakes up soon. So Raph could apologize to her.

I started the Shell-Raiser, and drove down the street.

"You blew it, Raph. You've got to get your head together." I scolded at my younger brother.

"I know. This stupid phobia is going to end up getting the whole team killed. Listen, I'm- I'm sorry, Leo." Raph answered, then tried to apologize.

It's not me he should be apologising to. It's Ellie.

"Guys." Donnie called, catching our attention. His face appeared on two of the monitors. One of the monitors switched a small map of New York, "Okay, here's a map of known Kraang facilities..." Then the map turned red with five fault-lines. Two were meeting each other, "And here's the map of the fault-lines in New York City. Now, if the Kraang are going to drill into the Earth's crust then this is where they do it." Donnie explained, pointing to the fault-lines that met each other.

"All right then, guys. We've got a little more time left before the Kraang start drilling." I told my brothers.

"You..." A familiar whispered voice started speaking, "You..." I looked over and saw that Ellie was speaking, "Can't run from me forever, Red One..."

"Ellie?" I identified.

"What's wrong with Elle?" Mikey asked.

"Who's 'Red One'?" Donnie asked.

Before I could answer, the sound of something climbed on to the Shell-Raiser, and a saw cutting into metal.

"What's that sound?" Raph asked.

Donnie looked at his monitor, "I don't see anything outside-" Then he noticed something, "Uh-oh. He's back!"

What? Spyro's back? Again?

Stricken with panic, Raph asked, "What?! Where?! Where could it be?" Then it hit him, "He's underneath the van. He's underneath the van!"

Suddenly, the Shell-Raiser came to a complete stop.

"He cut the drive shaft?" Raph exclaimed.

"How does he keep finding us?" I asked out of frustration. Spyroach is really starting to get annoying!

"Well, he could be using the homing signal I set up, so Spyroach could find his way back to the van." Donnie summarized.

Raph, Mikey and I stared at Donnie, "There's a homing signal?!" I asked.

"Dude, even I would have turned that off." Mikey told Donnie.

"Excuse me, Mikey. I've been a little distracted." Donnie retort in a sarcastic tone.

"You... will... pay..." Ellie whispered.

Donnie started typing on his computer, "Maybe I can use the signal to tap into his camera to see what he's seeing."

"None of this makes sense." Raph spoke up, then he asked, "Why is he so mad at us?"

"And got it." Donnie answered.

He pressed the enter key and the monitor showed the clip of Raph attacking Spyro.

"Oh, crud." Raph sighed.

"I don't think he's mad at us. I think he's mad at you." Donnie explained.

As he said that, something hit me, "And Ellie's acting as his voice, with her empathy. You're 'Red One'."

"Wow. That stinks for someone who's afraid of roaches!" Mikey said to Raph.

"I already got it, thanks." Raph snapped, then he asked, "So are there any more surprises?" Suddenly, a bio-mechanic saw pierced through underneath the Shell-Raiser.

"He has a saw?!" Raph exclaimed in fear. He ran toward Ellie's station, "This cockroach has a saw!"

I pushed Raph out of the way, and I cut the saw. Spyroach screamed in pain. Mikey smiled and pointed at the saw. The saw was making the sound of a deflating balloon. "Not anymore." I told Raph.

I looked at Donnie, "Donnie, the rest of us will keep the roach busy."

"We will?" Raph asked me.

I grabbed his shell, "Yes!" Then I returned to Donnie, "You've got to keep an eye on Ellie and fix the Shell-Raiser fast. Like, yesterday fast."

I dragged Raph out of the Shell-Raiser, with Mikey following me behind. We waited for Spyroach to make himself known. Raph was holding my hand in fear. Mikey, Raph and I heard something move from under the Shell-Raiser.

"Hey, Spyroach, Raph's out here. Come and get him." I called out.

"Really? You're using me as bait?" Raph asked.

"Yep." I answered.

From under the Shell-Raiser, Spyroach arrived and glared at us.

* * *

 **Raph's POV.**

Mikey and Leo ran down the alley, dragging me along with them. They left me at the end of the alley, and hid on the fire escapes of the buildings. Spyroach showed up. I yelped, and Spyroach readied his weapon at me.

Leo and Mikey ambushed Spyro and encased him with a trashcan. They hit the trashcan multiple times, but Spyroach was able to break out and threw Leo and Mikey out of the way, so he could get to me.

I screamed and ran from the roach. As I ran, I tried telling myself, "I'm not afraid! Not afraid. Not afraid!"

I tried blocking the roach's path, but he just kept walking through them. That just made my fear worse.

"Scratch that! Totally afraid!" I shouted.

I ran down the street, and noticed a sign that said 'Wet Cement.' I jumped over the area and the sign, then ran into another alley. Unfortunately, it was a dead-end. I started hearing noises, which I knew meant that the roach was still coming to finish me off.

I croached down and put my hands over the sides of my head, "I'm sorry I tried to smash you, ok? I'm sorry. I learned a very important lesson. I'll never be cruel again. Just leave me alone!" I whimpered to whatever it was behind me.

"On one condition." A voice spoke up.

I yelped, "Anything!"

"Be good to Michelangelo." The voice told me.

I whimpered, but something came to me. "What?" I asked. The voice sounded like Mikey's. And, last time I checked, the roach can't speak on his own. Only if Ellie is with us.

"Let him read your comics once In a while." The voice said.

I turned and saw it was my little brother, playing a joke on me. "MIKEY!" I shouted, then I kicked him in the shell.

Mikey ran from me and hid behind Leo. Leo held me back.

"So much for learning your lesson." Mikey commented.

"Nice job, Raph." Leo told me with a pat on the shoulder.

"What are you talking about? Where's the bug?" I asked.

Leo and Mikey lead me back to the street, where the wet cement sign was. Covered in the cement, was Spyroach. Still as a statue.

I smiled, "Ha! Stuck, huh? Not so tough now, are you, roachie?" I tapped his head with the hilt of my sai, "You're just a..." Then, the roach's head fell off, "Hollow shell." Then the rest of the roach fell apart and crumbled to the ground, "What the-"

"He must have molted." Leo summarized, as Mikey was playing with the shell.

Fear got the best of me again, as I turned to Leo, "They molt?"

Leo nodded, "Yeah. Roaches shed their skins..." Then he looked behind us, "When they get... Bigger."

Mikey dropped the shell and followed Leo's gaze, "Dude, you're not kidding."

I followed and saw, behind us, a 7 to 8 foot tall, alien blue, maggot-like creature. It roared at us.

"A cockroach... Why did it have to be a cockroach?" I muttered.

The roach grew two pairs of techno-organic wings and took off into the air. It roared at us again.

"And it flies!" I noted.

"Run!" Leo shouted, as we ran from the flying roach.

We ran our back to the Shell-Raiser, but I lost my footing and fell to the ground. The roach grabbed me and we took off into the air. While in the air, Spyroach licked my cheek. It was really gross, I tried not to barf. I jabbed my sai into his side, and he dropped me into a dumpster.

I rose from the dumpster, catching my breath, until a small cockroach crawled on to my arm. I yelped and tried to get it off. The cockroach jumped off my arm, and I noticed Spyroach was right behind me. I looked and he roared at me.

I quickly climbed out of the dumpster, made my way to the Shell-Raiser, screaming to Leo, "Start the engine! Start the engine!"

"Donnie, did you get this thing working?" Leo asked Donnie, as he walked over to the driver seat.

"We've got bigger problems. You've got to stop that drill!" Donnie answered.

I returned to my station and switched on my monitor. Spyroach was right at the camera. I started firing the garbage cannon at Spyroach, but the cannonballs just bounced off him, like they were nothing.

"What the?" I wondered, until Spyroach forced his way into the Shell-Raiser.

He roared, and Mikey kicked him in the face, knocking him away from the Raiser and on to the street, "Take that!"

Wasting no time, Donnie gave the engine a whack with the fire extinguisher, and the engine started. Leo drove the Shell-Raiser down the street.

"I had my chance, and I couldn't face it. I just... Couldn't do it!" I explained, as frustration of not being able to stand up to my fear. I walked out of my station and made my way to Ellie's station.

"Look at the bright side. In 15 minutes we could all melt in a fountain of lava." Mikey spoke up, then realized what he just said, "Ok, that sounded brighter in my head."

Donnie spoke up, as he showed us a map of the Kraang building, and the drill's location. It looked like the building we infiltrated, when we first met Ellie and April, "The laser drill is just past the front gate. Kraangdroids everywhere." He asked Leo, "Hope you've got a good plan."

"I'm going to ram through the gate and we'll go from there." Leo answered.

"Works for me!" Donnie replied.

I sat on Ellie's seat, and slumped over her bed, with her head touching my hands. I could feel Leo glaring at me. I looked over and saw that Leo was giving me a cross look. I looked away. I wish I could apologise to Ellie right now, but I'm not sure if she could hear me or not.

Suddenly, the alarm went off, and Donnie spoke up again, "Uh-oh. We've got company... Again."

Spyroach is back? Then there was the sound of something landing on top of the Shell-Raiser.

"What was that?" I asked as fear started to shiver down my spine. I looked around, "Where is it?"

After a few seconds of noises, Spyroach opened the hatch of the garbage cannon and reached into the Shell-Raiser. He grabbed Mikey and dragged him into the air with him.

"He's got Mikey!" Donnie alerted.

Mikey screamed, until we couldn't see him from the surveillance cameras.

"We've got to do something." Leo told us.

I stood up and volunteered, "I'll stop him."

"You don't have to do this, just to prove you're not afraid." Leo told me.

I shook my head and gently picked Ellie up from the bed, "I am afraid. And that's why I have to do this."

I placed Ellie in my station, returned to the bed and opened it, "I'm comin', Mikey! No six-foot tall cockroach is going to eat my brother."

* * *

 **Leo's POV.**

Raph jumped into the compartment, and Donnie started firing up our newest vehicle; The Stealth Bike. I turned the crank, to make the Shell-Raiser make a 180-turn, and Raph launched the bike into the street.

Raph parked the bike and stood up, "Hey! You, up there. Looking for me?" He called to Spyroach.

Spyroach dropped Mikey on top of the Shell-Raiser, and chased after Raph. Mikey quickly made his way inside and strapped himself to his station.

I drove the Shell-Raiser toward the Kraang Building's gates. The Kraang noticed we were coming and started closing the gates, and got their defences ready.

"Alright guys. Get ready. We're going in." I told my brothers, as I shifted the Shell-Raiser to high gear.

The Shell-Raiser charged through the Kraangdroids, and their laser barrage. However, the gates caught the Shell-Raiser, forcing it to a complete stop. The force of the stop caused Mikey to fall off his seat, Donnie to hit his head on his monitor, me fall forward a bit, and Ellie to hit Raph's monitor. Everyone groaned pain of the impact.

* * *

 **Eleanor's POV.**

I felt my head hit something hard and plastic. I was finally able to open my eyes and see what's around me. I saw that I was inside the Shell-Raiser, and in Raph's station. How long was I out for? How did I get here? And where the heck did I get here? More importantly, where, in the name of Amateratsu, is Raph?

My head started to clear, as I heard Mikey ask, "Are we in?"

I started hearing laser-fire coming from outside the Shell-Raiser, and it appears the Raiser is trapped.

"I'm gonna take that as a 'no'." I said, finally able to find my voice.

Hearing my voice, Mikey turned to me and cried with a smile, "Ellie! You're awake."

Mikey through his arms around me. Donnie turned, noticed, and threw his arms around me as well.

"Guys, do we have time for this?" I asked.

We could still hear the laser-fire from outside.

"Guess not." Donnie answered, as he and Mikey released their hugs.

Leo grabbed his T-Phone, "Raph, we're stuck! It's up to you. Get the drill!"

And with that, all we could now is wait, watch, and try find a way to get free from whatever it is that has us stuck. We heard Raph's voice shouted over our heads, until we heard a crash. Leo, Mikey, Donnie and I looked at the monitors and saw Raph landed a motorcycle on its side, and he crawled out of it.

"Ok, it was both." He muttered, as he crawled out of the bike.

Raph made his way to the laser-drill, punching out every Kraang that got in his way.

"The laser drill is at 400 meters from the Earth core." The blueprints alarmed.

"Not for long!" Raph shouted, as he made his way to the top of the drill.

Once he reached the top of the drill, Raph was welcomed by a winged, alien-blue, maggot-like Mutant. The Mutant's aura felt familiar, but it was flaring red, like a flame of burning red anger.

"Is that Spyro?" I asked.

Hesitantly, Leo nodded, "Yeah, he molted."

I looked at the monitor and saw that Raph was challenging Spyro to a full-on fight. "That's not good."

Donnie looked at me, "What's not good?" Raph dashed toward Spyro and Spyro took off into the air.

"His anger has engulfed his entire psyche." I explained about Spyro's aura.

We continued to watch as Raph fought Spyro. The fight was forcing the drill to move from its position. Raph was starting to get the upper hand, and was able to knock Spyro off the drill with two punches. An idea came to me. I used my T-Phone to call Raph.

"Ellie? You're awake?" Raph asked, from the other end.

"We'll talk about it later, Raph. You can kill two birds with one stone, if you use the laser-drill to your advantage."

Raph took my suggestion, and used his sais to move the laser-drill, so the laser would aim to the sky. Spyro got back up to his feet and looked at Raph. Raph dug his sais into the sides of the laser and redirected the laser toward Spyro. Spyro took the hit and exploded into a large puddle of bug gunk. Raph, then, used the drill to sabotage itself. The laser-drill went offline and fell apart on impact of the ground.

Now was our time to leave. Raph got his helmet and hopped on to the bike. The Kraagdroids were still firing at the Shell-Raiser. Raph ran them down. I used a psionic pulse, to get the gate open, and Leo reversed the Shell-Raiser free.

The Kraangdroids continued to fire at us, as we drove away. Raph parked the bike under the Shell-Raiser, and jumped out from under my station bed.

The boys and I cheered in Raph's triumph in fighting Spyro without running away in fear. Raph walked up to me. To my surprise, he threw his arms around me.

"Ellie, I'm so sorry I hurt you. My fear got the better of me, I didn't see you." Raph apologised.

I couldn't say anything. As a reply, I returned Raph's hug. That's all in the past now. At least he wasn't being a complete idiot about it.

* * *

 _ ***Later, Back in the Lair...***_

We returned home, and decided to kick back and relax. Uncle Splinter was still sleeping, so we can't tell him what happened.

Mikey was playing with the Space Heroes pinball machine. Donnie was jotting down notes. Raph was working out on the dummy. Leo and I were just relaxing on the couch.

"Well, Raph. You faced your fear and saved the city." Leo said to Raph

I nodded, "Not bad for a Wednesday, huh?"

Raph looked at us, "Faced my fear? I conquered my fear!" He grabbed Mikey and drew out his sai, "I looked my fear in the eye and i zapped it to oblivion."

He blew on his sai, pretending it was a gun. He dropped Mikey and smiled.

"So you're not afraid of cockroaches anymore, huh?" Mikey asked.

"Nope." Raph simply answered.

Mikey nodded, "Good, good. Then you won't mind the one I just slipped into your shell."

And with that, Raph lost his cool and started running all over the place in a panicked frenzy. The other boys and I laughed at Raph's reaction.

Man, I love this family.


	19. Baxter's Gambit

Baxter's Gambit.

 **Eleanor's POV.**

Hello again, viewers. You caught us at a good time. The boys and I have heard that the Kraang have just broke into an abandoned lab, to recieved a new wepon, that they could use to their advantage. Leo instructed us that we have to take the weapon, so it wouldn't fall into the wrong hands. Like Shredder, or any other bad people.

Right now, we're just spying on the Kraang, to see what the weapon is. I couldn't help but feel like we had company. The type of company that would make things difficult. But, I just shook it off.

Donnie looked through his spy-glass and gasped, "Whoa! That's a sub-spatial endoparticle disrupter."

"Gonna have to explain if that's 'oh, no' or 'yay'." Leo told Donnie.

"In the hands of the kraang, it's a definite 'oh, no'." Donnie replied.

"Why? What does it do?" Mikey asked.

"The disrupter can de-synchronize Subatomic resonances, which invert polymolecular structures, causing them to implode." Donnie explained, but he got a blank look and a shrug from Mikey.

"It makes things go 'boom'." Raph simplified.

"Not really a 'boom'." I pointed out, then explained, "More of a 'Zwee-chooooo!'" I finished by making a popping sound. The boys just looked at me.

Donnie shrugged his shoulders, "It's important to be accurate."

Then, it was the time to retrieve the disruptor. We got into formation.

Leo instructed, "Okay, guys. Get in position. Ready..."

Raph lost his his patience, "Let's just do this."

We jumped down to the ground level, only to be greeted by the Kraang, and Shredder's henchmen from the other side of the street. They must be hear for the disruptor as well. I hate it when I do that!

"Kraang and Fishface, Snow Fox and Dogpound?" Raph asked, then he smiled, "I must be dreaming. Pinch me." Mikey pinched Raph's cheek, and Raph yelped, "Ow."

Raph hit Mikey at the back of the head, and Mikey yelped, "Ow!" He looked at Raph, "You said-"

But, he was cut off by Shredder's henchmen charging toward us. The Kraang started firing their weapons, and we joined the fight. Taking down the Kraang and Shredder's henchmen was quite easy. Leo almost had his hands on the disruptor, but Bradford intercepted.

Raph was locked in battle with Xever. I was locked in combat with Sam. Leo was fighting Bradford. Mikey and Donnie were taking down the Kraang and Foot soldiers. I noticed a Kraang grab the disruptor and aimed it at Mikey. It fired, and I was able to tackle Mikey out of the way of the blast. The blast hit a car and it imploded into nothing, making the same sound I explained.

Mikey looked at me, "Ellie, you totally called it, dude."

I smiled and nodded. Then, we returned to the fight. Unfortunately, the fight was cut short, as the Kraang finally chose to escape. They drove off in their van, with the disruptor. I started hearing police sirens coming toward us.

"Guys, I hear sirens." I alerted the boys.

Taking my word, Bradford and Sam ran off.

"We gotta move." Leo told us.

Unfortunately, Raph and Xever were still fighting.

"Raph, now." Leo told Raph.

Raph heard and retreated back to our group.

Xever smiled, "Yes, run along now, boy." Then, he ran off.

"This isn't over, Fishface." Raph shouted to Xever.

Then we quickly made your way back to the Lair. We told Uncle Splinter what happened. Splinter gathered us into the dojo and instructed us to sit in line, for a certain ninjutsu excercise. We sat in line; Leo, Raph, me, Mikey then Donnie. Uncle Splinter grabbed his bokken and walked over to behind Donnie.

Donnie tensed and moved too soon. Splinter hit him on top of the head. Donnie yelped, "Ow!" Then he sighed, "Aw, man."

Uncle Splinter walked over to Mikey. Mikey flinched three times. Then he asked, "Just so we're clear, Sensei, you are planning on swinging, ri-" He was cut off by Splinter's bokken, "Ow!"

Uncle Splinter walked behind me. I closed my eyes and waited for Splinter to strike. My muscles tensed and I rolled forward. I opened my eyes and noticed I dodged Splinter's bokken before he hit me. I bowed to him, then Splinter stood behind Raph.

Raph tensed up, but he didn't move. Splinter hit him with his bokken and Raph yelped, "Ow!"

Splinter walked over and stood behind Leo. Leo stayed perfectly still and didn't tense up.

Before the bokken could hit him, Leo flipped to the side. He smiled, "Yes!"

"What is the point of this, anyway?" Raph asked Uncle Splinter.

"Evading a sword you cannot see demonstrates an ability to sense your enemy's intention." Splinter answered.

"I already know my enemy's intention, Sensei. To take me down." Raph replied.

"Knowing that your enemy will strike is a given. But sensing when he will strike, can mean the difference between victory and defeat." Splinter explained.

Raph looked away, in thought, then nodded, "Hai, Sensei."

With that, Splinter returned to his room, and me and the boys decided to go out on another evening patrol.

* * *

 _ ***Meanwhile, at the Cathedral...***_

 **Samantha's POV.**

We returned to the Cathedral and reported to Father that the mission was a fail. Father was not happy with us, so he demanded an explaination.

"We had the alien technology in our grasp, master." Bradford explained.

"Unfortunately, Stockman's plan was flawed." Xever added, eyeing at Stockman.

Father looked at Stockman, "Is this true?"

"Well, um..." Stockman began, then he smiled at Father, "Yes. They're right. It was my fault. I'm sorry. And I'd like to make amends. That is, if you'd allow me." He apologised, then he explained, "You see, I've designed a trap for the Turtles. A foolproof trap. But I'd need the help of my good friends here to lure them into it."

Father nodded, "Very well. Consider those three at your disposal."

With that, Father returned to his throne. Bradford, Xever and I stared at Stockman with narrow eyes. I smell a rat coming from this man. I don't like it.

* * *

 _ ***Later, that night, in the City...***_

 **Eleanor's POV.**

The boys and I were on our evening patrol. We were just finishing our route on Delancy and Houston. As we reached the final rooftop, Donnie spotted something below us.

"I got eyes on one giant dog, fox and fish. 6 o'clock." Donnie alerted us.

Mikey smiled and asked, "Where?" Then he saw what Donnie was looking at, frowned and sighed, "Aw, man. It's just Fishface, Snow Fox and Dogpound.'

We all looked and saw Bradford, Sam and Xever, hiding in a corner of a closed store. They were looking around, like they're waiting for something.

"What are they doing out in the open like this?" Leo wondered.

"It looks like they're waiting for something." I said with a small nodd.

"I think we should proceed with caution, guys." Leo told me and the others. But, the other boys were already gone, "Guys?" Leo and I heard fighting below us. I face-palmed, as Leo sighed, "Oh, man."

Leo and I joined the fight. This fight was getting easy and not making sense. It felt like they were playing decoy or leading us to let our guards down.

Raph turned to Xever, "Where were we? Oh, yeah. I was turning you into fish sticks."

"Actually, I believe I was turning you into turtle soup." Xever corrected.

Raph and Xever fought each other. Raph got upper hand and kicked Xever in the side, knocking him a few feet back. I gave Sam a leg-sweep and Donnie pushed her a few feet back, by using his staff. Leo was able to knock Bradford on to his back.

Leo took a stance and stared at Bradford, "Stay. Good dog."

Bradford glared and threw Leo off him. Bradford, Sam and Xever got back to their feet and ran down the street.

Mikey smiled, "Look. We got 'em on the run."

"Oh, they aren't getting off that easy." Raph said, as he started to chase after Shredder's henchmen.

"Raph, wait." I called.

"Something's not right." Leo added.

"Yeah, you two talking while they're getting away." Raph argued.

Donnie, Mikey, Leo and I quickly followed after Raph. Bradford, Xever and Sam lead us to an abandoned warehouse. Raph was leading the way.

"This way." Raph told us, as we reached the middle of the warehouse.

The warehouse looked empty, until Bradford spoke up, "All right. You got us."

Bradford, Sam and Xever walked out of their hiding spots and smiled at us.

"This is way too easy." Leo noted.

I narrowed my eyes, "I really don't want to say this, but... I smell a rat."

Raph looked at Leo and I, "Why are you two always worrying?"

Suddenly, two red lasers circled around all of us, and the warehouse was replaced by a room that you would see in optical illusions.

"Oh, I see." Raph muttered, finally seeing why Leo and I were so jumpy.

"Careful, guys. This may be a trap." Mikey said, realising the trap a bit too late.

Suddenly, a familiar voice spoke from a megaphone above us, "Welcome, contestants. I'm so glad you could join us tonight."

"Blister Stockboy?" Leo identified.

"It's Baxter Stockman!" The voice, Stockman, corrected in annoyance, "I'm your arch-nemesis."

"I can totally think of five nemesises way archer than him." Mikey said to Donnie.

Stockman spoke up again, "You'll be playing for the ultimate prize; Your lives. In the all new, family-friendly, incredibly deadly Maze of Doom."

Suddenly, it started raining fireballs. The boys and I ran around, dodging the fireballs. Shredder's henchmen smiled, until the fireballs aimed for them too. I guess Stockman's had enough with their abuse.

"You fool!" Xever called to the ceiling, then asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm sick of you freaks. You treat me like dirt, threaten me..." Stockman answered.

Sam looked at the ceiling as well, "Hey! I don't threaten you."

"I bet your 'father' does. Doesn't he?" I pointed out, as I went back-to-back with her.

"No." Sam answered with a glare, then she thought again, "Oh, wait. Yeah, he does." Then she shook her head and glared at me, "Why am I talking to you?"

"Well, Baxter Stockman doesn't make threats." Stockman finished, as the fireballs stopped.

"Have you gone mad, Stockman?" I asked.

"Mad?" Stockman asked, then he started laughing like a maniac, "I'm full on mega crazy."

"You traitor." Bradford shouted.

"And even if you make it through my maze alive, you'll still have to face my Monster of-" Stockman began, but Leo cut him off.

"Doom? Is it a Monster of Doom?" Leo asked with a bored expression.

"No." Stockman answered in a lying tone, "Uh, Monster of, uh... Uh..." Then he gave up, "Oh, the heck with it."

The floor disappeared beneath us. Bradford, Xever, Sam, the boys and I fell down the tunnel, to land in another tunnel. The boys and I were the first to land.

"Where in the-" Raph was about to ask, until he was cut off by Bradford, Xever and Sam landing near us.

Bradford got back to his feet and shook his head, "Where were we?"

"Total Turtle Takedown." Xever answered.

With that, the boys, Bradford, Sam and Xever engaged in combat. I stayed out and a thought came to me. Stockman planned this to get revenge on all of us. And the best strategy is to put us in one room, so we could destory each other.

I ran into the center of the fights and shouted, "Guys! Guys! You have to stop! This is what Stockman wants!" Unfortunately, my voice was falling on deaf ears, "Why are you not listening?"

Leo was able to break out of the fight. Suddenly, from each end of the tunnel, laser pendiulums started activating.

"What is-" Leo wondered, until it started to make sense, "Uh-oh."

I gasped, "Laser pendiulums?!"

Leo grimaced, "This can't be good."

One end of the pendiulums got too close to Raph and Xever. Raph noticed and tackled Xever away, "Watch out." The pendiulum narrowly missed Xever and Raph.

Raph noticed something, "I saved you why, calamari boy?" He glared at Xever, and Xever glared back.

"Everyone, I suggest a fight rain check." Leo told everyone.

Being a stubborn dog, Bradford shouted, "Never." He threw his fists to the ground, aiming to pound Donnie and Mikey, "We do this now."

I looked up and saw Bradford was directly under a pendiulum, that was about to activate.

"Bradford, duck!" I called, as I threw a shuriken star at the mechanism.

Bradford saw and ducked. The laser shut down just before it hit his back. Bradford looked up and saw that the laser was only able to cut the top the spike on his shoulder. The boys, Bradford and I huddled.

"Look, if we keep fighting, we are never going to get out of here alive." I told everyone.

"The exit." Donnie alerted us, pointing to the other end of the tunnel, "There."

Bradford pushed through us and dashed ahead, "Follow me."

Xever and Sam did the same. The boys and I quickly followed, dodging every pendiulum that swung near us.

"Leo, Ellie, you don't think we can trust them, do you?" Raph asked, as he caught up to Leo and I.

"It's our only option right now." I answered. I know it's gonna be risky, but it's better than falling apart in the hands of a mad techno-genius.

"Well, what do we do when they turn on us? Because they will turn on us." Raph pointed out.

"We'll just have to trust that we'll see it coming first." Leo replied.

The boys, Sam, Bradford and Xever were able to escape the pendiulums, and continued to walk down the tunnel, to the exit. Sam, Bradford and Xever were in front of me and the boys. I noticed whenever Sam looked back, she was always glancing at Donnie.

Xever looked back at us, "I have my eye on you, Turtles."

Eventually, we reached a room that was similar to the room we were trapped in. Bradford and Sam started sniffing the air.

"Fresh air." Bradford alerted us.

Sam smiled, "I smell it too." Then she pointed forward, at the black wall in front of us, "It's coming from that way."

"Uh, please, after you." Xever said to Leo, gesturing him to walk before him.

"No, no, you go ahead. I insist." Leo replied with a smile.

"What's the matter? You don't trust me?" Xever asked.

"If you think we're going to turn our backs to you, you're nuts." Raph answered with narrow eyes.

Mikey spoke up with a smile, "I know. We go like this; Turtle, lizard, turtle, jerk, turtle, jerk, turtle, jerk." Then he recollected his thoughts, "Wait, no. Jerk, turtle, jerk, jerk- No, too many jerks."

Above us, a group of four floating, mechanic balls made their presense known.

Leo looked up and alerted, "Balls! Of Doom."

"What are those?" Samantha asked.

The balls opened and revealed to have laser weapons. They began flying toward us.

"Not good." I answered.

"Let's move it." Leo told us.

"Me first." Xever shouted, as he started running.

A ball flew toward Leo. Leo ducked and the ball bounced off his katana sheaths. "Doom balls! Run!" He told everyone.

The Doom Balls started attacking all of us. We tried our best to fight back, or dodge them. Mikey quickly dove to the ground, narrowly dodging the ball behind him. He looked up and saw the ball was floating above his head. I grabbed Mikey's hand and pulled him away from the ball, as it charged toward him.

Mikey got one of his nunchucks, and whacked the ball into the wall, where the fresh air was coming from. Bradford was narrowly able to dodge the floating balls, due to his size. Donnie tried to whack a ball away, with his staff, but the ball got stuck. Two more balls charged toward him, but Sam used her kamas to whack them away.

Then we all started running away from the balls, trying to find the exit. Bradford tried running in front of Donnie and Mikey, but they weren't having it. We were able to find the exit. Raph threw shuriken stars at the balls, and all of them exploded on impact. We all made it through the exit, of course some of us fell through.

Donnie sighed in relief, then noticed another ball was still stuck to his staff. He pulled it out and threw it away. He looked over to Sam, who was in front of him, "Hey, Sam?"

"What?" Sam asked, glancing at Donnie.

"Thanks for helping me back there." Donnie thanked.

Sam looked ahead, "Yeah, well. I don't want Stockman turning you into soup. That's my job."

I narrowed my eyes at my older sister. She was lying. Why would she lie?

Anywho, Sam, Bradford, Xever, the boys and I walked down the next tunnel. It felt like we've been walking for hours. Everyone was starting to get really tired and exhausted.

Bradford sniffed the air, then noticed something, "Wait. We've been here before."

"He's right. We've been going in circles." Donnie agreed.

"Donnie, are you sure-" Raph was about to ask, until a large wall got in between us.

Leo, Mikey, Donnie, Bradford and Sam on one side. Raph, Xever and I on the other side.

"Hey!" Raph shouted, as he banged his fists at the wall.

"Leo! Donnie! Mikey!" I cried, punching the wall, as worry filled my mind.

"Time to split you boys up." Stockman announced from the megaphone.

Xever smirked, "Looks like it's just you two and me."

I drew out my katanas and started attacking the wall.

"You're wasting your time, Leonardo. So are you, Eleanor. Those walls are magnetically sealed." Stockman informed, then he started cackling.

I sighed, withdrew my weapons, closed my eyes and leaned my forehead against the wall. As I did, I heard Leo's voice. It was quiet and muffled, but I knew it was Leo, "Raph!? Ellie! Can you hear me?"

My eyes snapped open, "Leo?" I put my hands on the wall and shouted, "I heard you. Can you hear me? Leo!"

"It's no use, Ellie." Raph told me, "The best we can do is walk the other way and try to find them from there."

I looked at Raph and nodded. I looked back at the wall, "Leo, if you can hear me, we're finding another way to re-group."

With that, I followed Raph and Xever down the tunnel. We spent most of the time not talking to each other. It felt like the tunnel had no end.

Raph sighed, "The World's Longest Tunnel... of Doom."

Xever and I chuckled at the joke. Suddenly, another wall blocked our way. It looked similar to the floors of the previous rooms.

"What?" Xever gasped, as the wall took him by surprise.

"We're trapped." Raph shouted.

Suddenly, the wall started spinning. A wind current started to pull us toward the wall, getting stronger as the wall spun faster. The wall was a fan. Oh no.

The current got so strong, that we struggled to stay in our spots. Xever dug his foot-claws into the floor, and I stabbed one of my katanas through the ground. I grabbed Raph's hand, so he wouldn't fall. Some of the panels fell out of place and flew into the fan. The panels shredded into pieces on impact of the fan.

Unfortunately, Raph wasn't lucky. The current swept Raph off his feet, his grip slipped from mine and he flew toward the fan.

"Raph!" I called, as I reached out my hand for his. Raph reached out his hand to me, but he was out of my reach.

Raph flew closer to the fan. I tried to use my telekinesis, but they weren't working. Xever grabbed my hand, and jumped to the ceiling of the tunnel. He walked me closer to Raph, and I was able to grab Raph's ankle with my tail. Raph looked at me, then at Xever.

Xever jumped to the ground, then kicked through it. We landed under the tunnel.

We got back to our feet. I looked at Xever and lightly smiled, "Thank you, Xever."

"Well, that makes us even, huh, Fish Sticks?" Raph said to Xever.

"You think I'd let Baxter do away with you?" Xever asked. Then he scoffed, "Ha. That is a pleasure I am reserving for myself."

With that, he, Raph and I started walking down the tunnel again.

We walked in silence for quite a while, until Raph asked, "Tell me, Xever. What's a nice fish, like you, doing with a guy, like Shredder?"

Xever looked at Raph, then sighed, "In many ways, it's all I've ever known. At a young age, I learned a very simple rule- You want something, you take it. I was the best thief, Until one day, my luck ran out. They would have left me to rot there. Fortunately, the owner of that briefcase found my skills useful."

"Shredder." Raph and I concluded.

Xever nodded, "Yes. And he employed me for many of the Foot's dirtier jobs." Then he looked at Raph, "Most recently, the destruction of you, your brothers, Eleanor and your sensei."

"So you do all this because you owe Shredder?" Raph asked.

Xever shrugged his shoulders, "Eh, mostly I like having a job where I get to crack skulls every day."

Raph shrugged, "Okay, I can relate to that."

"Yes. We are of a kind, you and I." Xever said to Raph.

Raph nodded, "Well, maybe." Then he gave Xever a glare, "But I'm still going to whip your butt when this is over."

Xever and I nodded in agreement. Enemies are enemies for a reason. As Xever explained his story, I thought about something.

I was on the streets for a while myself. But, I tried to survive, by street performing until I turned 9 years old. That was when I met Xever and the Purple Dragons. Xever could've killed me that day, but he didn't.

"Since Raph asked you a question, I thought I'd ask you one myself." I spoke up, looking at Xever, "This one has been in my mind for a while now.'

Xever looked at me, "What is it?"

"Why didn't you kill me when I met you, Xever?" I asked, then I explained, "I mean, I was living on the streets. I was a no-one to you."

Xever looked away from me and said nothing. His aura even stayed quiet. It was like he didn't know himself. Did Xever had a small change of heart that day? Is that why he let me live? Or did he know something about me?

I shook my head from the thoughts. After a few minutes of walking, Xever, Raph and I heard Bradford's voice shout, "Skunkman! I know you're in here somewhere!"

I reached my hands out to touch a wall. I pressed my ear against the wall and heard crashing and thrashing. I smiled, "Hey, it's coming from the next room."

I stepped back and Xever kicked the wall down. The smoke cleared and we saw Donnie, Sam, Leo, Bradford and Mikey. All safe and unharmed. I smiled in relief.

"You enjoy your play date?" Leo asked with a teasing smile, withdrawing his katana.

"Ha. Very funny." Raph replied in a sarcastic tone.

Donnie was scanning the area with his T-Phone. He pointed his phone over a cannon, that was closer to the hole, "A strong ambient a/c current is coming from underneath this cannon."

Bradford removed the cannon and looked into the hole. However, the entire area of the floor gave out and all of us fell into Stockman's lair. Which was the same room as we fought Stockman as the Stockmanpod.

Three red searchlights beamed on us, as we saw a floating platform with Stockman on top of it. Stockman was wearing an odd helmet.

"No! You were supposed to destroy each other, not work together!" Stockman shouted, until he calmed himself and smiled, "No matter. You may have made it to the end of my maze, But now it's time for-"

Mikey cut him off, "The bonus round?"

Stockman smiled, "Yes, the bonus round- of Doom."

Underneath Stockman, appeared a 15 foot tall robot. Must've been the same robot that the boys fought when I lost my glasses, when I was human.

"Kneel before the awesome power of my Monster-" Stockman began with his monologue.

But all of us finished for him, with our own bored expressions, "Of Doom."

Stockman glared, "You all think you're so clever. Let's see how clever you are when you're hit by my missiles of d-" He stopped himself, then started again, "When you're hit by my missiles!"

The robot shot missles at us. Sam, Bradford, Xever, the boys and I were able to dodge the missles, as they hit the wall and exploded on impact. Then, the robot started attacking us with lasers, and its claw. Most of us were able to avoid the laser-fire, and Bradford was able to block the claw attack.

The robot released a group of mousers. Sam, Bradford, Xever, the boys and I were able to easily despose of them. Leo charged toward the robot. The robot tried to attack Leo with the two claws, that were on top of its head. The claws fired lasers at Leo, but he narrowly dodged them. He made his way toward the claws. They tried biting at him, but I kept the heads down, as Leo ran along the arms and stabbing his katana into the screen of the robot.

The robot released a powerful shockwave. The shockwave blew all of us back on to our backs and into the walls.

"How do we stop this thing?" Bradford asked.

Leo and I looked at the floating platform with Stockman was standing on top. An idea hit me. I looked at Leo. One look at my eyes and he nodded in understanding. He looked at Mikey, Bradford and Sam, "Mikey, Dogpound, Sam. Draw it under Baxter."

They nodded and charged toward the platform. Stockman floated up twenty feet above their heads.

He smiled and laugh, "Ha. Nice try. But you'll have to be faster than that."

Mikey turned and called, "Yoo-hoo, Monster of Doom."

"We're over here!" Sam called.

The robot heard Sam and Mikey's call, and it charged toward them. Bradford, Sam and Mikey jumped out of the way.

"Raph, Xever." I called to Raph and Xever, who were taking care of the last of the mousers. They looked at me, and I pointed at the platform, "There."

Raph and Xever looked at each other and nodded. They charged toward the robot. Xever fell on to his back and began sliding. Raph jumped and landed on to Xever's robotic feet.

"Ready?" Xever asked.

"Three, two, one." Raph counted down.

On 'one', Xever kicked Raph up and Raph flew through the platform. The platform lost power, and it began falling toward the robot, with Stockman still on board.

"No! Stop helping each other!" Stockman cried, as the platform fell.

The platform came into contact with the robot, and both exploded into a huge cloud of smoke and bright red light. The others and I covered our eyes from the light. The smoke cleared, and there was no sign of Baxter Stockman.

"Where's Dexter?" Mikey asked.

"Fools!" We heard Stockman's voice shout from above us.

We looked up and saw that Stockman was still alive, and he was flying in the air. His helmet had a helicopter feature.

"You haven't seen the last of Dexter-" Stockman threatened, but he cleared his throat and moaned in annoyance, "Baxter Stockman!"

With that, Stockman flew away via the skylight. The others and I exited the warehouse. We were so exhausted, that we all fell to our knees and were too tired to move.

"The truce is over." Xever informed us.

Bradford stood up, "Let's finish-" Then he sighed in exhaustion, "This."

The rest of us stood up and drew out our weapons.

Mikey charged toward Bradford, "Booyaka-" But he fell to his knees and yawned.

Realizing we were all so tired that we couldn't move, and Sam dropped her kamas and ended up falling asleep on his shoulder, Bradford sighed, "Ah, forget it. Next time."

Leo shrugged his shoulders and gestured to Sam, "We all think it, she just does it."

"That's my airhead sister." I whispered to the boys.

Xever picked Sam's Kamas, and Bradford picked Sam up bridal style, and they walked down the alley, on their way back to the Cathedral. The boys and I withdrew our weapons and walked down the other way.

"You know, Raph, you and Fishface actually made a pretty good team back there." Mikey said Raph, recalling on their teamwork against Stockman.

"He's still our enemy, Mikey. And he'll take us out the first chance he gets." Raph told Mikey.

Suddenly, I felt my muscles tense up. Quickly, I withdrew one of my katanas, and I caught the Doom Ball, that was stuck on Donnie's staff, and Xever threw at us, before it hit Raph's head.

"Trust your senses. You'll see 'em coming." I noted, eyeing at Xever.

Xever looked back and smirked at us. Then continued walking. The boys and I watched Xever, Bradford and Sam walk back to the Cathedral.

Something tells me Baxter is gonna get what's coming to him. Really don't want to be in his shoes.


	20. Enemy of My Enemy

Enemy of My Enemy.

 **Eleanor's POV.**

 _*Sigh*_ Another night, another Kraang plot to shut down. Donnie and I looked further into the Kraang data storage device, and found that the Kraang have been planning to use the portal to bring a scouting ship to Earth tonight. So, Leo decided it was time to intercept and find out what this ship really is. We arrived on top of a building, just a few blocks away from TCRI, and waited for the Kraang to take action.

Leo was using his spyglass to keep an eye on the building. Donnie kept checking on the Kraang's plans on his T-Phone. And I keep my ears and empathy at a wide range. Mikey was playing a game on his T-Phone, and Raph was just kicking back a bit.

"Nothing happening at TCRI." Leo sighed.

"Yet." Donnie pointed out.

"This game is awesome. The combat is so realistic." Mikey said with a smile, talking about the game he was playing.

Raph stood in front of him, "You want me to make it more realistic?"

"Guys, stop messing around." Leo told Raph and Mikey.

"According to the Kraang storage device that Ellie and I decrypted, some kind of scouting ship is coming through the Kraang portal tonight." Donnie explained to us.

"So we all have to stay alert." Leo pointed out.

Then we all heard a familiar voice, "Yeah, you never know what could sneak up on you."

The boys and I looked and saw, on top of the water tower, Karai. She jumped down to meet us.

Leo lightly chuckled, "Cute, Karai." Then his smile fell, "But I'm not in the mood."

Karai drew her sword and charged toward Leo. Leo drew his katana and blocked Karai's attacks. He took a few steps back.

"We don't have time for this." He told Karai, then looked at his brothers and myself, "Guys!"

The boys and I drew our weapons and Mikey yelled, "Booyakasha!"

She blocked Donnie's attack and jumped on to his shell. Then she jumped a few feet from us.

"'Booyakasha'? What does that even mean?" Karai asked.

"I don't know. But it's fun to yell." Mikey answered, throwing his kusarigama at her.

Karai used her sword to grab the chain, and stepped on it. The force made Mikey fly toward her. She kicked him over her head. I charged toward Karai and clashed my eskrima sticks with her sword.

She smiled at me, "You really know how to make a girl feel welcome."

She pushed me back. I said nothing, but glared at her.

Karai pointed her sword at Donnie, "I heard the scrawny one mention the Kraang. What's going on?"

"None of your business." I answered, dashing in for another attack.

"And I'm not scrawny. I'm svelte." Donnie argued, as he joined the battle.

Karai was able to block and jumped out of the way. Raph tried, but she was able to block and push him away.

"Oh, come on. Let me in on the fun." She insisted.

"Look, we're a little busy trying to stop the beginning of an alien invasion here." Raph explained to her, the shouted, "So, do us a favor and get lost!"

Karai's smile fell, "An alien invasion? Are you serious?"

Suddenly, thunder clapped from above TCRI. The boys, Karai and I looked and saw storm clouds forming around the top of the building. Thunder clapped and Kraang-pink lightning flashed. Fear crept into my instincts, as I quietly hid behind Donnie. The TCRI roof opened to reveal a jellyfish-like ship flying out of the building and into the city.

"This can't be good." Leo grimaced.

The ship looked over the city and saw us.

"Uhm, guys, I think I need to change my shell." Mikey grimaced.

The ship began flying toward us. The boys, Karai and I took a step back.

"I hope you have a plan for fighting that thing." Karai suggested to Leo.

Leo lightly smiled, "Of course I do. Step one..." The ship fired a laser at us. "RUN!" Leo shouted, as we all ran from the laser. It created a small explosion after the laser stopped firing.

The ship followed and continued firing its laser at us. The boys, Karai and I jumped down to ground level and started running down the alleys. That goodness it was the dead of night, and everyone else was asleep.

"What the heck was that?" Karai asked.

"I don't know. But off the top of my head, I'd say they use it for flying and shooting at things." Leo answered.

"Like at our shells!" Mikey shouted, as we exit the alley and into the streets.

"It looks like a form of transportation that is capable of manipulating ions-" I was about to explain, but I stopped myself, "Uh, I mean..." Then I corrected with a girly tone, "It's shiny."

Raph and Leo looked at me, "Eleanor!"

I sighed, "Alright. It's a stealth ship." Donnie glanced at me. I shrugged, "I looked further into the data files."

Eventually, Karai got seperated from the group. The boys and I ran into another alley and hid behind a parked car. The ship flew past us.

"You think it knows where we are?" Mikey asked.

"Yeah, maybe." Leo answered.

Suddenly, the car was lifted from us. The boys looked up and saw it was the stealth ship. It had hold of the car with its three tentacles. The boys and I screamed and jumped out of the way, as the ship dropped the car nearly on top of us.

"Man, we gotta get underground." Donnie told us.

Leo drew his katanas, "I'll draw their fire." He dashed toward the ship, narrowly avoiding the laser. He ran past the ship and shouted, "Over here, cyclops!"

The ship drew its attention on Leo. The others and I found the nearest manhole cover, and Raph opened it. Mikey, Donnie and I jumped in. Raph stayed behind for Leo and to close the cover.

"Leo, come on!" Raph called, as Leo lead the ship toward us.

Raph jumped in. Leo quickly followed, as he closed the manhole quick enough for the ship to miss us. The boys and ran to the nearest sewer grate, and saw that the stealth turned invisible and flew off, before the police arrived on the scene.

"Oh, great. 'Cause it wasn't scary enough when we could see it." Raph remarked in a sarcastic tone.

"Stealth ship. They can do that." I said with a small shrugg.

Before the police saw us, the boys and I made our way back to the Lair, to think of a way to take down the Kraang stealth ship.

* * *

 _ ***Later, at the Cathedral...***_

 **Karai's POV.**

I returned to the Cathedral, to report to my father of what I saw.

"It's true. The Kraang are plotting an invasion. I saw the ship myself. They've got some serious hardware. We've gotta do something before it's too late." I told my father, but he looked like he wasn't listening, "Father?"

Sam looked at Father as well, "Father, are you still in there?"

"We shall proceed as planned." Father said.

"But-" I started, but Father cut me off.

"Tomorrow night, we will receive a shipment of new weapons. These shall help us put an end to the Turtles, Eleanor and Splinter." He finished. Father can't be serious. I've told him about the Kraang, and he's still focused on his vendetta against Hamato Yoshi?

Sam looked at Father as if he's gone mad, as well.

"We can deal with that later. Didn't you listen to a thing I-" I tried to tell him, but he hit his fist on his throne, silencing me.

"Karai! You have said your piece. Now you will do as I say." Father told me.

I narrowed my eyes and nodded, "Yes, Father."

This vendetta is getting out of hand. If Sam and Father wont do anything about the Kraang, then I will. But, I can't do it alone. I can't believe I'm thinking this, but I'm gonna have talk to Leo, his brothers and Shen. They'll listen. I know they will.

* * *

 _ ***Meanwhile, in the Lair...***_

 **Eleanor's POV.**

I was inside the lab, with Donnie, trying to find a way to locate the Kraang stealth ship without alarming anyone or anything. We came up with a idea with radar beacons.

Donnie and I were just finishing the last batch, until we heard Leo speak up, "That Kraang ship is incredibly dangerous. We've gotta figure out what it's doing here."

"Or we could just skip to the part where we destroy it." Raph answered.

"You're pretty tough when they can't hit you back." Mikey commented, then he yelled.

I walked over to the door and saw Raph aiming to punch Mikey, but Mikey was holded the dummy in front of him.

Raph lowered his fist and looked at Leo, "So, what are we waiting for? Let's load up the Shell-Raiser and challenge that thing to a rematch."

"First we need a way to find a ship that's invisible." Leo pointed out.

"I know, how about we shoot into the air until we hit it." Raph replied.

Leo shook his head, "That doesn't sound too smart."

"Yeah, Raph. Not too smart, buddy." Mikey backed up with a smile.

Raph aimed to punch Mikey again, but Mikey flinched. Donnie and I left the lab and joined the group.

"Actually, Raph's not far off with that idea." I spoke up.

"Yeah, Leo, Raph's got something there." Mikey said to Leo with a smile.

"But instead of shooting objects, we'll shoot waves of electromagnetic radiation." Donnie explained.

"In other words, radar." I simplified, as Donnie showed one of his beacons.

"Ellie and I have built some radar beacons we can set up around town." Donnie began.

"If the ship gets near us, Donnie and I'll get an alarm on our T-Phones." I finished with a smile.

Leo smiled, "Good work, you two. Come on, guys. Let's split up and place those beacons."

With that, Leo made his way to the surface. Donnie and I quickly followed. Raph punched the dummy out of Mikey's hands.

Mikey picked up the dummy, "You'll get him next time, buddy."

"Mikey!" Leo called.

"Loosen your kneepads, Leo!" Mikey shouted, as he caught up to us.

* * *

 _ ***Later, in the City...***_

 **Leonardo's POV.**

My brother's, Ellie and I split-up to install the beacons. I was just finished with the last one. I placed it in a air vent cover, on top of an apartment building. The antennae started blinking red, indicating that it was working.

"Tribeca beacon installed." I informed Donnie via T-Phone.

"That's the last of them. Raph, Ellie and Mikey are finished too." Donnie reported back.

"See you back at the Lair." I told him, as I hung up.

Suddenly, I felt a slight pull at the back of my head. I drew my katanas and followed it. I blocked an attack from a sword. It was Karai again. We got locked in combat and I was able to hold her off. I took the fight to a lower level and clashed swords with her.

"This is getting old, Karai." I told her.

She smiled and said, "I want to help you fight the Kraang."

Surprised, I asked, "Really?"

Karai backed away and withdrew her sword. I did the same.

I shook my head, "No, of course not. We're enemies. You want to destroy us. You're loyal to Shredder. Should i keep going?"

"Look, if the Kraang win, we don't have a planet anymore. That makes our little fight seem pretty pointless, doesn't it?" She pointed out.

"I doubt Shredder would agree." I opinionated.

"Shredder is stubborn and short-sighted. He drives me crazy. His stupid vendetta is gonna take us all down. He may not be able to see that, but I know you do." She told me. Then she smiled and asked, "What do you say? Work together for now?"

Karai held out her hand. I looked at it, then her. I sensed that she meant it, but I have to consult with my brothers, Master Splinter and Ellie. My brothers don't trust her. Master Splinter needs to know. And Ellie has had a past with Karai. So, I have to hear what they think.

I shook my head, "Sorry, sister."

With that, I jumped from the building and made my way back to the Lair.

* * *

 _ ***Later, back in the Lair...***_

 **Eleanor's POV.**

Leo was telling his brothers, Uncle Splinter and I about what Karai told him. I wanted no part of it, so I decided to spar with April, and teach her a few things, while the others talked about it.

"I know we shouldn't trust Karai. But still, I got the sense she really is fed up with Shredder." Leo finished with his explanation.

"That's probably just what she wants you to think." Raph pointed out.

Leo nodded, "I know, but-" He turned to Uncle Splinter, "Sensei, is there any chance she's for real?"

"It is possible. Loyalties have been known to shift. But the Kunoichi is trained to use deception to her advantage." Splinter answered.

"So she either will or won't betray us?" Leo asked.

"Correct. You must trust your instincts. But, beware the trap of believing something to be true simply because you wish it to be so." Splinter answered, the explained, as he turned to enter his room.

"So I should trust my instincts, unless my instincts are wrong?" Leo asked.

Splinter stopped and answered, "Correct." Then he continued his way.

Confused, Leo sighed, "Uh thanks, Sensei."

"Whoa. You know it's good advice when you're still confused afterwards." Mikey said with a smile and look of amazement on his face.

"Guys, seriously. An alliance with Karai? No way. Why are we even talking about this?" Raph spoke up, to make his thoughts known.

"It's too bad we can't trust her. It would be nice to have another kunoichi on our side." Donnie sighed.

Upon hearing Donnie's words, April stopped sparing and walked up to him, "Uhm, hello? What about me?"

Donnie smiled, "No, I mean a real kunoichi." Then he tried to recollect his words, "I mean, not that you're not a real one, just that Karai is better. I mean, not-not better, just more experienced." To break the tension, Donnie asked, "Is it- is it hot in here?"

April smiled, "It's ok. I get it. She's your mortal enemy, but hey, she's 'purdee'." She finished with an upset look.

Donnie shook his head, "No, she's not. You're way prettier." Then he did it again, "Not that i think you're pretty. I mean, you're not ugly. It's just that I-"

I sighed, grabbed Donnie, covered his mouth and dragged him into the lounge, before he could make a bigger fool of himself. Donnie was trying to shout, but my hand muffled his words.

"Don't fight it. You'll thank me later." I told him.

* * *

 _ ***Later, in the City...***_

The boys and I were riding in the Shell-Raiser. Donnie and I got a couple of alerts on the Kraang stealth ship's movements. So, we hopped inside the try and track the ship down.

As we drove down the streets, Donnie and my T-Phones went off again.

"Guys, I think I've got something." Donnie announced, as he looked at his T-Phone, "Doesn't match any authorized flight patterns."

I looked at my T-Phone. It was showing the same thing. "It's gotta be the Kraang ship." I summarized.

"Or Santa!" Mikey added.

Leo turned a corner and the Kraang stealth ship was looking right at us.

Mikey sighed, "Nope, it's the Kraang ship Ugh, that's a bummer."

The ship flew toward us and started firing its laser at us. Leo put the Shell-Raiser on full throttle and drove us away from the ship. But, being airborne, the ship quickly followed after us.

"Move it, Leo!" Raph told Leo, as he picked up some speed. Raph tried firing the garbage cannon, but the ammo kept missing or bouncing back at us.

"Hang on to your shells!" Leo told us, as he took a couple of sharp turns.

Donnie looked at the monitors and saw that the Kraang ship was still on our tail, "I think I've figured out its mission. Us!"

Leo took a couple more turns, but we still couldn't shake the ship off our tails.

"Mikey, we need an escape route!" Leo told Mikey.

Mikey checked his map and looked over to Leo, "Take the alley on the right!"

Leo took the right and we ended up meeting a dead-end. "It's a dead-end." Leo sighed.

Mikey checked his map again, then corrected, "Don't take the alley on the right!"

The Kraang stealth ship hovered above us and fired its laser at the back of the Shell-Raiser. Alarms blared and the Shell-Raiser shook from the attack.

"Any ideas, guys?" Leo asked.

"Just one." Raph answered.

He walked over to Mikey. Mikey flinched, and Raph started hitting him on his shell. Mikey yelped, "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!"

Suddenly, I sensed another aura coming our way. I looked over to Leo's monitors and saw something jump on top of the Kraang ship and the ship flew away from the Shell-Raiser. I recognized the aura, as my instincts told me to help her.

"That was Karai!" I alerted the boys.

Leo put the Shell-Raiser in reverse, and drove it back to the Lair.

I looked over to Leo, "We've gotta go back and help her."

Raph looked at me, "Ellie, are you mad? She can take care of herself. Let's put some distance between that thing and us."

I shook my head, "No way!"

"But the Shell-Raiser can't take another onslaught right now." Donnie pointed out.

"Fine. Then I'll do it myself." I said with a glare. I unbuckled my seatbelt, stood up from my station and lifted the bed, "I'll meet you guys back underground."

"Hey, the Stealth-Bike's my thing." Raph argued.

"Now your thing is sucking it up." I snapped, as I went into the Stealth-Bike's station.

"Hey, that's my thing!" Donnie shouted, but I didn't have time to reply.

The Stealth-Bike deployed from under the Shell-Raiser, I drove down the street, then came to a stop. The Kraang ship flew over my head, as Leo drove the Shell-Raiser back to the Lair. I revved the engine, and drove after the stealth ship.

Karai was still on top of the ship. When the ship reached the other end of an alley, it flipped upside-down. Karai was forced to jump off. But, she wasn't gonna survive the fall. I picked up speed and used a car as a ramp to jump into the air. Karai was able to land on to the seat of the bike. We landed safely on the ground.

"You okay?" I asked her.

Karai nodded, "Yeah. Are you?" She asked.

"Peachy, but fine." I answered.

"I'm not really good about saying 'thank you'." She told me.

"And?" I asked, as the Kraang ship started firing its lasers at the Stealth-Bike.

"That was it." Karai answered.

I activated the concrete shell of the Stealth-Bike, and drove down the street. I hid the bike in the shadows of an alley and waited for the Kraang ship to leave. After a few minutes of waiting, I disengaged the shell and looked around. The Kraang ship was nowhere to be seen. Karai gave me a thankful smile. I couldn't help but smile back.

I activated the shell again, and drove the Stealth-Bike into the subway, where the Shell-Raiser was waiting. I entered the Shell-Raiser and opened the bed of my station again.

"We're back." I told the boys.

Raph looked and saw that I brought Karai with me.

"You brought her inside?" Raph asked, then pointed out, "Dude, she'll see all our gear!"

Karai got off the bike and looked around. "Yeah, 'cause if Shredder finds out you have an ice cream lamp, it is over." She remarked in a sarcastic tone.

"Karai just risked her life to save us. She's at least earned a little trust." I explained.

"Ellie's right. Let's hear her out." Leo agreed with me.

Raph shrugged, "You're the boss."

Leo put the Shell-Raiser to a complete stop, and gave Karai a moment to speak.

"You guys need my help. You really think you can shoot down an alien warship with garbage?" She explained, then asked.

"Compressed garbage." Donnie corrected.

"And manhole covers." Mikey added, as Donnie closed his eyes and folded his arms.

"My point is, to take out a ship like that, you need a real weapon." Karai told us.

"Oh, yeah? Like what?" Raph asked.

"What if i got you a shoulder-fired missile launcher?" She offered.

"I'm starting to like her." Raph said with a small smile.

Donnie opened his eyes and asked, "Where are you gonna get a shoulder-fired missile launcher?"

Karai shrugged, "Shredder, of course."

"Uh, we're talking about the same Shredder, right? Big dude, lots of blades? Really hates us?" Mikey asked.

"Yeah, something tells me he's not gonna want to share his toys with us." Raph pointed out. I nodded in agreement.

"He won't know about it. He's buying a big shipment of weapons down at the docks tomorrow night. All we need to do is sneak in and help ourselves." Karai explained with a small smile.

I gave Karai a look. Her aura feels honest, but my gut tells me otherwise. Raph had the same look.

"Anyone else smell a trap?" Raph asked the others.

"Sorry, that was me." Mikey admitted.

"Why would i trap you? You're the only ones who know what the Kraang are up to." Karai asked, then pointed out.

"True, but you don't really have the best track record." Donnie pointed back.

"Fine, I'll get you the missile launcher myself." Karai offered.

The boys and I looked at each other. I looked at Karai dead in the eyes, "You're really willing to steal from Shredder?"

She looked back at me, "Look, these things have to be stopped." The she looked at Leo, "If Shredder's not gonna do anything about it, then I will, with your help or without it."

Leo looked concerned. He looked at Donnie and Mikey. They both nodded. He looked at Raph. Raph just shrugged his shoulders, staying out of the discussion. Then Leo looked at me. I shook my head. But, my vote was outnumbered.

Leo looked back at Karai, "All right, here's the deal. You get us the missile launcher, and we'll team up."

Karai smiled in agreement. Leo smiled back. They shook hands and the temporary truce was made. I felt my stomach slightly churn. Something bad is gonna happen, and it's gonna happen really soon.

* * *

 _ ***Later, back in the Lair...***_

The boys and I returned Karai to the Surface, and we returned to the Lair, waiting for the time to come for Karai to deliver the missle launcher. Mikey and Raph were playing with the pinball machine, Leo and I were sparing and Donnie was reading one of his comic books.

"Stoked! I can't believe we're getting a missile launcher." Mikey exclaimed in excitement. Then he asked Raph, "What should we blow up first?"

"Uh, the Kraang ship?" Raph reminded.

"Oh, right." Mikey remembered, then he asked, "What should we blow up second?"

"If Karai can pull it off." Leo pointed out.

He gave me a combination of a double-punch and a high kick. I dodged the punches, blocked the kick, and gave Leo a palm-strike to the chest. It knocked him down on his shell.

"You're getting too distracted, Leo. What's on your mind?" I noticed, then asked, helping Leo back to his feet.

"Are you worried about your girlfriend?" Donnie asked in a teasing tone. Leo had an annoyed look, as Donnie smiled, "I see why you guys do that now. It's kind of fun."

The scorpion sting in my heart returned, but I kept it to myself. I didn't want the boys to know I still have feelings for Leo. Besides, it's not right. He's my cousin. I can't think of him like that. What if he doesn't feel the same?

"It isn't gonna be easy. Shredder's gonna be there too." Leo pointed out.

The pin-ball fell and an idea hit Raph, "Hey, you're right! For once, we know where Shredder's gonna be ahead of time, which means we could set a trap for him."

"What? Look, we made a deal with Karai. We can't just go behind her back." Leo argued.

I nodded in agreement and reminded, "This is about that Kraang ship. They want to take us out."

"So does Shredder." Raph pointed out, "This may be our only chance to take him by surprise. Are we really gonna pass that up?"

Leo looked away in thought, then agreed, "All right, guys, let's take down the Shredder."

Raph smiled, then he, Mikey and Donnie went off to grab their ninja gear.

I looked at Leo. His aura showed concern. He's never been the type of guy to break a promise. Showing, that I still have his back, I was gonna take hold of his hand, but I placed my hand over his shoulder. Leo looked at me and slightly smiled. I smiled back.

* * *

 _ ***Later, at the Docks...***_

The boys and I arrived at the docks, and waited for Shredder to make an appearance. We hid on top of a second level of shipment containers. Donnie created an electro-grenade with a baseball and a bunch of batteries.

I looked and saw Shredder, along a few Foot Ninjas, talking to a man I recognized as Ivan Steranko. Ivan Steranko is a Russian weapons dealer for the Foot Clan, and an old friend of Shredder's. I met him twice.

"Alright. Shredder's in place." I told the boys.

Raph and Leo readied the balloon laucher, we were gonna use on Shredder.

"Aim for his armor. The electro-grenade will use the metal as a conductor to amplify the shock." Donnie told Mikey.

"How much of that did I need to understand?" Mikey asked.

"Aim for his armor." Donnie simplified, giving him the grenade.

Mikey took the grenade and gave Donnie a thumbs-up, "Got it."

Raph looked at Leo, "You sure we should trust Mikey with this?"

"When it comes to water balloon launchers, he's the best in the business." Leo assured with a smile.

With that said, Leo, Raph prepared the launcher, as Mikey placed the grenade and aimed for Shredder's armor.

"Booyakasha, Shred-Head." Mikey whispered, as he fired the grenade.

Karai must've saw us, because she pushed Shredder out of the way, "Look out!"

The grenade missed Shredder and hit Ivan's car. It shocked Ivan and the Foot Ninja's out-cold. I face-palmed, as Raph shouted, "Are you kidding me?"

Mikey shlumped and sighed, "I do not understand that woman."

Karai grabbed a missile-launcher and aimed it us. She fired the missile and it flew toward us.

"Incoming!" Leo alerted, as we all jumped out of the way, as the missile impacted and exploded.

Shredder recovered for Karai's rescue and looked at us.

"Well, this can't get much worse." Raph sighed, as he noticed Shredder glaring at us.

Mine and Donnie's T-Phone alarm went off. It was the beacons around the docks.

"The radar! The Kraang ship is nearby!" Donnie alerted.

The boys and I looked at the clouded sky, and saw the Kraang stealth ship turn visible and flying toward us.

"And it just did." I sighed.

The boys and I stood up and started running into the shipment containers. Shredder was chasing after us.

"Fall back, guys!" Leo told us.

"No argument here!" Donnie shouted, as we ran into a corner.

The boys and I ran into a few corners, but Shredder was always either close-by or right behind us. We kept running, until we bumped into another dead-end. Again, Shredder appeared behind us. We turned to look at him.

"Tell me where Splinter is, and I'll let you live long enough to watch him perish." He told us.

I walked in front of the boys and took a defencive stance, "Forget it, Shredder!"

Above our heads, the Kraang stealth ship arrived before Shredder could move.

Leo looked up, "That thing again?" Then he sighed, "Great timing."

Shredder looked up and saw the ship as well, " **ホントにわ** (Honto ni wa/Really)?"

The ship hovered over us and fired its laser. We narrowly jumped out of the way, as the laser turned its aim on Shredder. Shredder quickly hid in a shipment container. Thinking quick, Leo locked the door.

He looked at his brothers and I, "Come on!"

He ran down the path we came from. I quickly followed behind him, and the others followed behind me. But Shredder was able to cut himself out and turned his attention to the others.

I heard Donnie shout to Leo and I, "We'll catch up to you later!"

Leo and I ran to the bay of the docks and saw a crate that still had two more missile-launchers. Before we could grab one, Karai jumped in front of us.

"I thought you were better than this. I thought you were my friends. How could you betray me? You're just as short-sighted and obsessed as Shredder, Leo." She told us, readying her weapon.

"You broke my trust when you told Shredder of my escape." I reminded, drawing out my eskrima sticks, then I asked, "Did you think I could forgive you that easily?"

"You said yourself how bad Shredder is." Leo answered, then asked, "Why are you protecting him? You said he's driving you crazy."

"He drives me crazy because he's my father!" Karai answered.

Leo's eyes widen in shock, "Y-your father? Shredder is your father? You're Shredder's daughter?"

The Kraang ship overed over us and fired a laser in between Karai and Leo. Leo and I dodged and watched the ship fly off into the sky again.

"We've gotta stop that thing!" Leo shouted.

"Our deal's off. You want a feud? You've got one." Karai told Leo, as she readied her weapon for a fight. Leo drew one of his katanas and blocked Karai's attack.

Leo and I took turns on attacking Karai. We were able to hold our own against her. Karai was able to knock one of Leo's katanas out of his hands and kneed him in the face. But, the Kraang ship returned and broke the battle with its laser. Oi, that's getting annoying. Leo and I jumped out of the way, and Karai hid behind a shipment container.

I looked at Leo, "Leo, get a launcher and take down the ship. I'll cover you."

Leo looked at me and nodded. He grabbed a missile-launcher and made his way to the roof of the hut. I noticed Karai charging toward him, so I jumped in front of her and conjoined my eskrima sticks.

"Stay away from my family, Karai!" I told with a glare and a low tone in my voice.

Karai and I were locked in combat. She was swift, but her strikes were predictable. I was more fluid and improvised. My staff clashed with her sword. I gave Karai a headbutt, and she fell back. As my forehead connected with hers, my vision was clouded by a vision of a Japanese dojo.

It was nightfall. Two men, a woman, an anthropomorphic lizard in a hooded kimono, and a baby were talking on the porch. I knew them.

The man closest to the woman looked at her and the lizard. He spoke in a familiar voice, "Go."

I recognized the voice. It was Uncle Splinter. That means the woman was Tang Shen, the baby was Miwa and the lizard was my mother.

In flashes of thunder fire, a battle broke out in the dojo and set it ablaze. Tang Shen put the baby down and dashed in.

After an explosion of flames, I heard my uncle's voice cry in dismay, "Shen!"

A figure of a man exit the flaming dojo and heard Miwa crying. He picked her up and craddled her, "I will call you Karai."

Shock, surprise, and disbelief overcome me, as the vision faded. All this time. The young woman I was fighting... I can't believe it. My mind just froze.

I dropped my staff and stared at Karai, "No... Miwa..."

"What was that about? Your eyes just went..." Karai was about to ask, but the sound of a missile firing caught her attention.

She looked at Leo, and saw he fired a missile at the Kraang ship, and it impact. She ran past me and locked in combat with him. I fell to my knees in dismay. I couldn't move. The Kraang ship flew closer to the docks. It landed and slid its way to the boys and Shredder.

"Heads up, guys." Raph called, as he, Mikey and Donnie jumped out of the way.

Shredder stood his ground and braced himself. The Kraang ship collided with him and forced him to fall into the water.

Seeing this, Karai cried, "Father!" She jumped into the water, to save Shredder.

I felt someone place their hand over my shoulder, snapping me out of my trance. I looked and saw it was Donnie. He reached out his hand to me and helped me back to my feet. I joined Donnie and his brothers, as we made our way back to the city.

* * *

 _ ***Later that night, back in the City...***_

It was nightfall when the boys and I made it the main parts of the city. Leo looked really upset when he found out Karai was Shredder's daughter. He told the others, and they were very shocked as well. The boys and I noticed Leo walked off a bit and sat down in sulk. Raph, Mikey, Donnie and I looked at each other.

Donnie was the first to try and cheer Leo up, "Leo, it's not that bad. You blew up the Kraang ship."

"But I also blew our chance to get Karai on our side." Leo told Donnie.

"Look, she's Shredder's daughter, his blood. She was never gonna be on our side." Raph pointed out.

I looked away in thought. That vision of the past. It can't be right.

"Yeah, maybe you're right." Leo nodded in a sulk, "Maybe I was just believing what I wanted to."

Mikey stood behind Leo and sighed in sympathy, "Ah, I've been there, dude. For me, it was leprechauns."

Leo looked at Mikey with an 'are-you-serious' look, "Are you seriously comparing what I am going through to the time you found out leprechauns aren't real?"

Donnie and Raph were gesturing to Leo to shut up, but then face-palmed.

"Leprechauns aren't real?" Mikey asked in shock.

"That's not right... It can't be right..." I muttered to myself, unaware I was voicing my thoughts too loud.

Donnie looked at me with a raised eyebrow, "What can't be right?"

I snaped out of my train of thought, looked at the boys and waved my hands in defence, "Nothing."

The boys looked at each other, then looked at me, as I looked at the stars. Uncle Splinter needs to know of my vision. But, what would he say, what would he do? Is he ready to know? Are the boys ready to know? Am I ready to tell them?

I guess I'll have to wait for the right moment. Only time will tell.


	21. Karai's Vendetta

Karai's Vendetta.

 **Samantha's POV.**

Oh boy, what a treat. Karai and Father returned to the Cathedral with a pink brain-squid. It must've been a Kraang. Father decided to interogate the squid, to find out why their species are hunting the Turtles and that Lizard girl. The squid screeched in protest and tried to pry itself out of Father's grip.

"Why were you hunting the Turtles and Eleanor?" Father asked.

The Kraang screeched, as if it was talking. But we couldn't make a word out of it.

"They don't talk much outside their little houses." Karai explained, knocking on the robot she brought a few weeks ago.

Father threw the Kraang into the machine. The Kraang screeched, then closed its eyes, activating the robot. The robot looked at Karai, Father and I. It tried to move, but couldn't because all that was left of the robot was its head, upper-arms and torso.

The Kraang opened its eyes and started screeching again. The robot lifted its head and started trying to speak.

"Kr-kr-Kraang is lacking the knowledge, to answer the questions that the one, known as Shredder, is asking of Kraang." The Kraang spoke in a deep, raspy, but monotone voice.

I narrowed my eyes. I know that voice from somewhere, but I can't seem to recall when or where. Memory sure is a strange thing these days.

Father looked at Karai and I, "Do they all speak like this?"

"Even if Kraang is possessing the knowledge, the one, known as Shredder, will never be getting that knowledge from Kraang." The Kraang added.

Karai looked at Father with a smile, "You didn't have any other plans, for today, did you?"

Father looked at Karai, "Let's try again." He looked back at the Kraang, and put his middle claw close to the Kraang's face. The Kraang screeched in terror. "Why were you hunting the Turtles and Eleanor?" He asked.

I smiled at the Kraang, "Best to answer. Father is not in a good mood today."

The Kraang looked at me, then at Father, "The ones, known as the Turtles and Eleanor Hamato, are protecting the lifeform needed by Kraang. The one known as April O'Neil."

My smile fell and my eyes widen. Like the Kraang's voice, I know that name. I thought back a bit. I remembered Bradford knocking a human girl unconscious and bringing her to one of our missions. That must be April O'Neil. Why does that name give me a headache?

"Who is this April O'Neil?" Father asked the Kraang.

"I think Bradford met her. Ginger hair, blue eyes, freckles, seems to like the color yellow." I answered with a small shrugg.

"She is the one, known as 'The One'. She is the link which is missing in the plan, which is the plan of Kraang." The Kraang explained.

"So this April O'Neil is at the center of everything." Karai summarized as her smile fell.

"Perhaps we can use her to draw the Turtles and the Lizard out of hiding?" I suggested to Father with a small shrug.

Father looked at me, I felt a smile under his mask. That's the first time I've technically seen my father smile.

He looked at Karai, "Karai, find this girl, find bring her to me."

Karai smiled, bowed her head, and made her way out of the Cathedral, to look for April O'Neil.

* * *

 _ ***The Next Day, in The Lair...***_

 **Eleanor's POV.**

The boys, April and I were just in the middle of our sparing training. April was sparing with me. Donnie was with Leo. And Mikey was sparing with Raph. April was doing really well, but Uncle Splinter would show April the right posture every now and again. Leo was able to defeat Donnie, by taking his staff and delivered a palm-strike to his chest.

Uncle Splinter helped April once again, and we turned our attention to Raph and Mikey's spar.

"What you gonna do? What you gonna do? What you gonna do?" Raph teased Mikey, getting him to lower his guard.

Raph jumped toward Mikey. Mikey saw an opening. He ducked, grabbed Raph's hands and monkey-flipped him on to his stomach.

Mikey smiled and struck a pose, "Booyakasha!" He jumped on to Raph's face and teased, "You got faced! Thought you had me, but I played you like a trombone."

Mikey stood up and started imitating that he was playing a trombone. Raph stood up and caught Mikey in a **Kannuki Jime** (A reversed Bear-Hug).

"Play time's over, tough guy!" Raph told Mikey, as he lifted him off the ground and applied pressure.

"Put me down! Enough! Uncle!" Mikey cried, struggling free from the hold.

"I don't see you tapping out." Raph replied.

"I can't... Move my... Arms..." Mikey struggled to say, dropping his arms.

Raph applied more pressure, which caused Mikey to yelp, "Then tap your horrible, disgusting middle toe."

Mikey wiggled his left middle toe. Raph dropped Mikey, and Mikey fell on his shell. Mikey sat up and talked to his toe, "Don't worry, Stubby. You're not as horrible as he says."

Uncle Splinter and I walked up to Mikey. "Michelangelo, why did you give up so easily?" Uncle Splinter asked, as I gave Mikey my hand.

Mikey took my hand, and I helped him back to his feet. Mikey looked at Splinter, "There was nothing I could do."

"There is always something you can do. Observe." Uncle Splinter explained. He looked at Raph, "Raphael, **Kannuki Jime** (Grab me from behind)!"

* * *

( **A/N: I can't find any Kanji, Katakana, or Hiragana for this phrase.**

 **Japanese is not really my native tongue.**

 **Anyone who does, please let me know.** )

* * *

Raph tensed up as Uncle Splinter walked past him. Donnie and Leo watched from near the exit, while Mikey, April and I watched from the front. Raph stood behind Splinter and performed **Kannuki Jime**. He tried to lifted Splinter into the air, but he was too tall.

"The key is to unbalance your opponent." Splinter explained, as Raph continued to try and lift him off the ground.

"But how?" Mikey asked.

"However you can." Uncle Splinter answered with a shrug. Then he added, "For example..."

Splinter licked the side of Raph's face. Raph reacted by letting go of Splinter and wiping his face. Uncle Splinter took the opportunity and tripped Raph over with his tail.

I surpressed a giggle, as Splinter chuckled, "You see? There is always a way." Then he wiped his mouth and looked at Raph, "And you need to take a bath."

With that said, our training session was over.

* * *

 _ ***A little later...***_

The boys, April and I were doing our own thing. Raph was feeding Spike. Mikey was enjoying his pizza. April and Donnie were in Donnie's lab. Leo was flipping through channels. And I was drawing in one of my Dreampads.

I was sketching a new image this time. A girl wearing yellow, being chased by a white snake, in the streets of New York. I felt like I knew the girl and the snake. But, I can't be too sure. I also can't help thinking about that vision from yesterday.

"Ellie, Space Heroes is about to start." Leo alerted me, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I closed my DreamPad and sat next to him, as he switched the channel. Today's episode was in the ship, as Captain Ryan, Dr. Mindstrong, Mr. Crenshaw and Grundch were watching two crew members in red shirts, being attacked by an insect-like monster.

"The landing party is under attack by the Digesters! We have to save them!" Mr. Crenshaw paniced, earning a slap in the face by Captain Ryan.

"If we keep bailing them out, they'll never learn to take care of themselves." Captain Ryan pointed out.

"But this is their first mission, and they don't even have weapons!" Mr. Crenshaw argued.

"Then they'd better learn fast." Captain Ryan said in a simple tone.

Then the sound of a woman screaming filled the speakers of the ship, indicating that the monster eat one of the crew members.

"Say, Dr. Mindstrong, weren't you in love with that one?" Captain Ryan asked.

"I was, Captain." Dr. Mindstrong answered, fighting tears.

Captain Ryan smiled, "Well, it looks like you both learned a lesson today."

Leo switched the channel, as the show was just finishing.

"Hey, guys." Donnie greeted, as he opened his lab's doors and leaned into the lounge, "Guess what April and I have been up to."

Leo, Mikey, Raph and I stayed quiet and looked at each other. Donnie smiled, "That's right! Analyzing sewage."

"Who says you don't know how to show a girl a good time?" Raph asked with a teasing smile.

I tilted my head in interest, "What did you two find?"

"Why don't you all come in and find out?" Donnie offered.

Leo, Raph, Mikey and I joined him and April in the lab. Mikey, of course, brought his pizza with him. Donnie and April grabbed a large beaker, filled with a cyan liquid, and showed it to us. It felt like water, but not completely.

"April and I were going through some files on the Kraang storage device." Donnie started, as he put the beaker on top of Mikey's pizza boxes, "We found out that they're using a special process to change Earth's water into Kraang water."

"They've already started the process. We found a low concentration of Kraang chemicals in the sewage." April added to Donnie's explanation.

"And I take it that's a bad thing." Raph summarized.

I nodded in agreement, "Anything to do with the Kraang, you know it's gonna be bad."

"Watch what happens when I dip this slice of Mikey's shrimp and sardine pizza into pure Kraang water." Donnie said, as he put a piece of Mikey's pizza into the liquid.

Almost instantaniously, the pizza disintergrated until there was nothing left. Mikey cried in dismay and asked Donnie, "How do you sleep at night?"

"Presently, there's only a tiny bit in the water supply, but the concentration is increasing, which means-" Donnie explained, but Mikey cut him off.

"Every slice of pizza in New York will be destroyed?" Mikey exclaimed.

"Along with anyone who uses water." April finished.

"I don't want to live in a world without pizza." Mikey shouted, as he moved his pizza away from the beaker.

But he forgot that the beaker was on top of the boxes and he tipped it over, with the liquid falling toward April.

"Look out!" Donnie cried.

Some of the liquid landed on April's wrist. She braced herself, and the rest of us exclaimed in shock and panic. But, to our surprise, April didn't disintergrate or mutate.

I removed my hands from my mouth in surprise, "Nothing... Happened to you."

The boys were speechless aswell with this discovery. How is this possible? Is this one of the reasons why the Kraang are after her?

"Maybe it's 'cause she's not made out of pizza." Mikey suggested, breaking the silence.

Suddenly, Donnie's computer started beeping. Donnie took a look and it showed a map of the East River, and a red blinking marker inside the river.

"The scanners located the Kraang facility transforming the water supply, which is right here." Donnie informed us, pointing at the red marker, "We gotta stop it!"

"Looks like we got a mission." Leo said with a smile. He looked at April, "You coming, April?"

"Sounds like a blast, but unfortunately, it's on the bottom of the East River. And equally unfortunately, I have an essay due." April answered in a slight sad tone, picking up her school bag.

Leo nodded in understanding, then looked at me, "Ellie?"

I smiled, "I've done my essay two days ago and turned it in yesterday."

"And Murakami-san?" He asked, tilting his head slightly.

"He gave me the week off. Said I've been working so hard, I deserved it." I answered with a small shrug.

Raph gave me a look, "How do you do it? Be able to live your life on the surface?"

I shrugged again, "I have my ways, Raph." Then I pointed to my nose, "A ninja's a master of deception."

"Speaking of Murakami, I wouldn't mind a little human food." April spoke up. Then she began making her way out of the lab.

"Pizza's human food." Mikey pointed out.

"Not the way you eat it." April replied.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you're going topside?" Donnie asked in a worried tone. He hopped over his desk, but lost his footing, and fell. He recovered and asked April, "You got your T-Phone, right?"

"Donnie, don't worry. I'll be fine." April assured the Techno-Turtle.

She continued walking. I felt a strong churn in my stomach. But it wasn't coming from me. Donnie and April were worried. April about the water. Donnie about April.

"So, Donnie, how are we gonna get out there?" Leo asked, getting back to the mission.

Donnie smiled, "Don't worry, guys. I've been working on something that is pretty awesome."

He looked at the ceiling. The rest of us followed his gaze and saw his newest invention.

* * *

 _ ***Later, in the East River...***_

This is really embarrassing. Donnie created a Turtle-like submarine, and it doesn't work like a normal submarine should. Leo, Mikey, Raph and I had to play a vital part, and it's not really cool. The Turtle-Sub is powered by kinetic energy, channeled by bicycles.

"This is not awesome." Raph said, as we continued peddaling.

"Seriously, Donnie? A submarine powered by bicycles?" Leo asked.

"You know what would have been more efficient? Swimming!" Raph asked, then snapped.

"And get disintergrated? No thanks, Raph." I pointed out. Mikey laughed at the burn.

"Hey, pipe down, guys." Donnie told us, "Kinetic energy is the only way to charge the engines, which should be done right about now."

Donnie activated the engines and the Turtle-Sub soared threw the river with great speed. Leo, Mikey, Raph and I were able to take a break and catch our breath.

"We're almost there." Leo assured us, then he instructed, "Up periscope."

The periscope dropped down. It was a toilet seat with a pair of binoculars. Leo was not amused. Anywho, Leo looked through the periscope and saw something.

"Uh, Donnie? Any chance this Kraang facility Looks like a giant Sea-Mutant?" He asked Donnie.

I joined Donnie and saw through the other eye of the sub. I saw the sea mutant. It looked the closest description you can get from the Loch Ness Monster. He was beautiful, but I didn't have time to admire.

So, I recollected my thoughts and answered, "Oh, that's not a Mutant, Leo."

"Based on his physiology, I'd say the Kraang brought him here from Dimension X." Donnie added.

"How is that less horrifying?" Leo asked.

"It's not. I just like to be accurate." Donnie answered simply.

"Well, whatever it is, it looks like it's guarding that." Raph informed us.

Dead ahead was the Kraang facility. The Sea-Mutant was swimming around it in a protective manner.

Leo lifted the periscope and told us, "Let's go stealth."

Donnie powered everything down, entering stealth mode. The sub gentley approached the facility. The Mutant saw us coming.

"We need a way to draw that sea monster away from that base. Donnie?" Leo reported, then asked.

"The flares might do it, but they need a form of telekinetic photon energy to activate." Donnie explained.

I smiled, "Psionic light energy? I'm your lizard."

"Okay. You see the panel in the shape of a hand? Place you hand over it and start releasing the energy." Donnie instructed.

I placed my hand over the panel, on top of my head, closed my eyes, and started manifesting the light energy.

* * *

 **Leonardo's POV.**

Ellie started releasing the energy into the panel. Indigo energy flowed around her. The purple markings returned. Upon her back, I saw a tribal dragon tattoo. Must've been her Purple Dragon tattoo. It was glowing the same purple and it was moving. I also noticed on the back of her neck, under her turtle choker, was the same symbol on Master Splinter's kimono; A turtle in a circle. How long has she had that tattoo?

Once the energy was released into the panel, the Mutant was in front of us and growling. Donnie fired a flare, the indigo orb turned white and the Mutant quickly followed it.

The indigo energy and the markings disappeared and Ellie fell to her knees in exhaustion.

"Good job, Elle." I praised, as Ellie gave me a smile and a thumbs-up.

* * *

 **Eleanor's POV.**

With the Sea-Mutant gone, the boys and I inspected the inside of the facility. It was full of Kraangdroids. No surprises there. The Kraang increased the conversion of the Kraang water. We had to stop them now.

"We gotta get in there before that sea monster comes back." Leo said, as he looked through the periscope.

"How are we gonna get past those guards?" Mikey asked.

Leo smiled, "We make them come to us."

Donnie started picking up large rocks from the riverbed and putting them into the diposit of the Kraang water, causing a large blockage.

The Kraangdroids left their station and jumped into the water, to examine and deal with the blockage. Donnie parked the Turtle-Sub above the facility and we entered with ease.

"We're in." Leo told us.

Just our luck, the Sea-Mutant returned to the facility.

"And that thing is back." Raph informed, then asked, "How are we gonna get out of here?"

"We'll worry about that later. Right now, we've got bigger fish to fry." Leo answered.

We made our way to the main control room.

"I don't think we're gonna find a bigger fish than that." Mikey joked.

Leo, Donnie, Raph and I sighed and face-palmed in annoyance. That was a bad pun, Mikey. I pinched my muzzle.

"What? Come on, that was good. You gotta give me that one." Mikey said, as he followed close behind.

We found the main control room and made our way inside without alarming any of the Kraangdroids inside.

Leo grabbed one of his katanas, ready to fight, "Okay, we have to be quiet."

"Do you have to say that every time?" Donnie asked, then argued, "We're ninjas. We know how to be quiet."

Suddenly, his T-Phone rang in a loud volume. Leo, Raph and I looked at Donnie was shocked expressions, while Mikey chuckled, "Ooh, that is embarrassing."

The Kraang heard Donnie's T-Phone and started firing at us. The barrage of laser-fire caused us all to scatter.

"April, hi! It's not a great time!" I heard Donnie answer his T-Phone, as he dodged the Kraang's barrage. He landed and shouted, "What?"

Leo tackled Donnie out of the incoming Kraang laser-fire.

"Karai's after April. We gotta help her!" Donnie told Leo.

What? Karai chasing April? Why? How? That means that my dream was another vision; The girl was April, and the snake was Karai. How does Karai know about April? The only ones that know April by name and face are me, the boys, Uncle Splinter and the Kraang. Is Shredder working with the Kraang now?

Oh, crud. Here comes another headache.

"And who's gonna help us?" Leo asked.

The Kraangdroids continued to fire their weapons at us. Donnie and Leo seperated and Donnie ran alongside myself.

"April, I'm sorry. We can't get there. But don't you worry. You just stay calm..." He told April, then shouted, "And run! Run for your life!"

With that he hung up his T-Phone and returned to the matter at hand; the Kraang. Good thing the group was all we had to worry about. The facility was smaller on the inside. The boys and I were able to lower the number of Kraangdroids, until Donnie got his T-Phone and tried to call April again.

"Donnie, focus! April can take care of herself." Leo told Donnie.

Donnie looked at Leo, "Against Karai? Are you kidding? I've gotta help her!"

"You're not gonna be much help, if you get blasted in the head." I told him, as I grabbed his hand and forced him to duck.

Donnie ducked, as a laser just narrowly missed his head, "Whoa!" He stood up again and grabbed his staff, "Good point."

Donnie and I returned to the fight and double-teamed one Kraangdroid. Mikey snuck up behind the two Kraangdroids shooting at us, and gave them a leg-sweep.

"That's a twofer." Mikey announced, as he started celebrating, "Thank you, and thank you."

The two Kraangdroids stood up again. Raph defeated them before they hurt Mikey. Mikey turned and noticed, "And thank you."

"How many times have I told you? No celebrating till the fight is over!" Raph shouted at Mikey, poking his forehead.

Mikey swatted his hand away and argued, "How many times have I told you, I assumed it was over?"

Mikey poked Raph's chest, but it got his finger bent back. He yelped and Raph let go.

"Children, children! We have to go!" Donnie told Raph and Mikey.

"Um, have you forgotten about a little something called 'completing the mission'?" Leo reminded.

"But April's in danger!" Donnie argued.

"If we leave now, the Kraang will poison everyone in New York, which, last time I checked, includes April." I pointed out. This made the situation a win-win for Karai and the Kraang.

"Think, Donnie. How do we take this place out?" Leo asked.

Donnie took a breath and thought for a second, "Well, the chemical is highly explosive."

"How do you know that?" Mikey asked.

"Partly because it has a hydrocarbon on its outer ring. And partly because of that sign." Donnie explained, pointing to a Kraang sign of an explosion and a Kraang being blown away by it.

I looked around, then picked one of the Kraang's laser-blasters, which was still in good shape. Perfect.

I looked at Raph, "Raph, do you think you can get this blaster open for me?"

Raph smiled and drew out one of his sai, "With pleasure."

I closed my eyes, as Raph dug his sai into the weapon. I looked and he was able to remove the casing.

I smiled, "Awesome." Then I explained to the others, "Now, I'll short out the power supply and leave it by the chemical tanks. It'll overheat, and the whole place will go boom!"

Donnie folded his arms with a smile, "How did you get so clever?"

I smiled with a small shrug, "I was born smart. I just don't like to show it very often."

"All right! Victory dance!" Mikey cheered.

Then he was about to start his victory dance, but now is not a good time, or place for it.

"Mikey!" Leo, Donnie, Raph and I shouted with a sharp glare.

Mikey shlumped over, "Or maybe later."

I pressed the button, that shorts out the power. Leo and Donnie gave me a boost, and I inserted the blaster into the chemical tank.

I landed and smiled, "There. In about 90 seconds, this whole place is gonna blow."

Leo nodded, "All right, let's move!"

Donnie called April again, and this time, she answered, "April, what's your status?" He asked her. After a second of silence, he replied, "Okay, we're on our way. We'll be there soon."

Suddenly, the sea-creature rose from the diving area, and roared at us. The boys and I screamed and the creature attacked us. "Actually, it might be a slight delay." Donnie told April, as he hung up the T-Phone, and we scattered from the creature's attack.

We tried attacking the creature, but his skin was too strong. Raph was the last to attack. He tried to jump to the platform, but the creature caught his mask-tails and threw him into the air, so he could eat him.

I jumped across and caught Raph before he landed into the creature's mouth, "Gotcha!"

Donnie joined and saw the timer of the blaster, "We've only got 30 seconds before that blaster explodes!"

Raph looked at me, "Ellie, can't you calm this thing down?"

"I could, but we wont have time to make our escape." I answered.

Raph rubbed the back of his head, "Good point."

The creature swung its head at us. Donnie, Raph and I ducked, but Mikey was thrown on to the platform.

"Uh, guys, any ideas?" Leo asked.

I went into thought, "Well, let's see. We're cornered by an amphibious sea creature, in an underwater base that's about to blow up." Then I sighed in a deadpan tone, "I got nothing." I looked at the Tech-Turtle, "Donnie?"

Donnie thought for a second, then shlumped over a bit, "Yup. I'm out."

Mikey threw his kusarigama around the creature's head and started riding it like a cowboy. Leo, Raph, Donnie and I cheered. Mikey jumped off and closed the hatch door, catching the creature's head in the process. The boys and I took the oportunity to exit the room.

"That was fun!" Mikey cheered, as he withdrew his nunchuck and started his victory dance.

"Mikey, that victory dance better not last more than four seconds!" I shouted to him.

Mikey did a quick victory dance and joined our escape. We were able to get back to the Turtle-Sub before the chemical tank exploded.

"That wasn't such a chore, now, was it?" Raph asked, as we entered the sub, and he was trying to get some water out of his ear.

Donnie made his way the controls, "Great, now we can get back to Apr-" Then he looked out and shouted, "Are you kidding me?!"

The rest of us looked and the sea-creature was free and back for round 2. Just great. The old turtle luck working true to form.

* * *

 **(A/N: Guess where that's from. ^_^)**

* * *

Leo, Raph, Mikey and I hopped on to our bicycles and started pedalling like there's no tomorrow. But, the creature was right on our tail.

"Donnie, can you make this thing go faster?" Leo asked, as he looked throught the periscope.

"Of course I can." Donnie answered. He pushed the turbo engines button. The turbo engines revved up, but they fell off and shot off into the abyss of the river.

"Wow, that is fast." Mikey said in awe.

The boys and I returned to our stations, as Donnie shouted, "Pedal faster!"

Raph, Mikey, Leo and I pedaled as fast our legs could.

"Feelin' the burn!" Mikey said, as he pedaled.

The Turtle-Sub swam as fast as its fins could carry it, but the creature caught up to us and hit its head against the sub's. And then it grabbed the sub from on top of it.

"That's it. It's got us. We're gonna die!" Donnie shouted in a panic.

Then we heard something that surprised, and disturbed us. The creature was making happy whale noises. The boys and I shared the same expression as the same thought came to our minds; The sea-creature was in love with our sub. That's not cool. The boys and I reacted in disgust.

"Hey, we're not that kind of sub!" Mikey shouted to the creature, but the creature couldn't hear him.

As an act of retaliation, Leo released the underwater bombs. They attacked the creature, forcing him to let us go, and we made our way back to the Lair. Can you say weirdest day ever? Cause, so far, this day qualifies.

The boys and I made our way back to the sewers, thanks to Leatherhead's old lair. Donnie tried calling April again.

"Come on, April. Come on, April!" He begged, then he smiled, "April! You're okay!" He looked at us, "You hear that, guys? My sweet princess is alive!" Then he returned to his phone and whispered, "Did I mute that?"

The other boys and I face-palmed or sighed in annoyance. Donnie was worrying over nothing.

* * *

 _ ***Later, back in the Lair...***_

"And when her guard was down, I flipped her down the subway steps and bolted." April finished her story of how she handled Karai on her own.

Donnie, Raph and Mikey cheered in April's success. Leo didn't want to listen, as he still had feelings for Karai. I felt my heart ache, because only I knew why. To conceal it, I stood up and made my way to the Dojo.

I heard Donnie smile, "That is awesome!"

"You rock!" Mikey cheered.

"Kick butt!" Raph praised.

"Impressive, April. You used your training well. And you fulfilled the most important goal of the ninja; To come home alive." Uncle Splinter praised with a smile.

April bowed, "Thank you, Sensei." Then she smiled, "Looks like I can take care of myself after all."

"Yes. And no." Splinter answered.

Uncle's answer caught my attention. The boys, April and I looked at him in confusion.

"Karai may have failed this time. But if Shredder wants you, he will stop at nothing to find you. And with the kraang after you as well, the wisest decision is for you to remain here, in the sewer, with us." Splinter explained.

"What?" April exclaimed.

"Oh, that's great!" Donnie smiled. But, he corrected himself, as he got a glare from April, "I mean, oh, that's horrible. That, you know, your life as you know it Is-is over and, um-" He stopped before he could make a fool of himself, "I'll shut up now."

"I can't stay down here." April argued, "I mean, what about school, My friends, everything?"

"Well, you can do what I do." I suggested, as I stood next to my uncle.

April gave me a look, "What? Wear a mask and a hoodie for the rest of my life?"

The boys looked at me. There goes that secret. I scratched the back of my neck, where my birthmark was, "Not literally, but yeah."

April sat down and curled herself into a ball.

"April, Master Splinter's right." Leo spoke up, "Until we stop Shredder and the Kraang, this is the only place you're safe."

"So once we stop them, I can have my life back?" April asked.

Leo folded his arms, "Yes."

April thought for a moment, then looked at us with determination clear in her eyes and aura, "Let's get started."


	22. The Pulverizer Returns

Pulverizer Returns.

 **Eleanor's POV.**

Hello viewers. Boy, you guys have good timing. The Turtles and I were just finishing a Foot Clan ambush. We were just starting our evening patrol, then Foot ninjas showed up and started attacking us. The boys and I have been taking them out with ease.

"I could do this all night." Raph said with a smile.

He took out three ninjas on his own. The fourth one tried to take him by surprise, but he took him down. Raph looked around and saw that we ran out of Foot ninjas to take down.

He sighed, "Aw, man."

"Raph, if you keep breaking your toys, We're not gonna buy you new ones." Leo told Raph, as he let go of the Foot ninja, he knocked out with a submission hold.

"Dude, it's like we just cleared a video game on 'easy'." Mikey said, as he checked any that are still moving.

"Mikey, if Master Splinter has taught us anything, It's that real combat is not like a video game." Leo told Mikey.

Donnie looked around and smiled, "Hey, coins!" He started picking the coins up.

I withdrew my weapons and folded my arms in thought, "The Foot soldiers haven't been much of a challenge lately."

Leo looked at me and nodded, "You're right, Elle. I wonder why."

"Well, maybe we're just that awesome." Raph replied.

Leo smiled, "That sounds right."

"You know who I'd hate to be? The guy who has to tell Shredder about this." Donnie asked, then explained with a smile.

I smiled myself. Like I said before, Shredder hates idiots and slackers. So, Bradford is so gonna get a beating for this incompetence.

With that, the boys and I returned to our patrol. A nagging pain in my neck kept telling me something bad is gonna happen. I need to prepare for it.

* * *

 _ ***A little later, at the Cathedral...***_

 **Samantha's POV.**

Ooohhh, Father is mad now.

He just heard word that the Turtles and the Lizard have just easily defeated a small wave of Foot ninjas. These ninjas were trained and found by Chris Bradford himself. So, as a punishment, Father was beating him down to the point that Bradford couldn't breathe.

I was just enjoying the show. I gotta say, even I noticed the ninjas were getting sloppy. Has Bradford even been training these guys? My guess is no.

"You promised me an army of the best, most lethal ninjas in the world. But the Turtles and Eleanor have decimated them. The ones left are hardly worthy of wearing the emblem of the Foot." Father told Bradford, drawing out his claws.

Bradford bowed his head, "I can find more soldiers. Just give me time."

"No more time! I need more soldiers! I need better soldiers! And I need them now!" Father shouted. He punched the window, behind Bradford. Bradford dodged and the window cracked under the impact.

"But that's impossible." Bradford answered.

Father walked up to Bradford. Bradford was literally shaking in his furry boots. Then Father looked at Kraang-y, who looked back at him. Father seemed to have calmed down a bit.

"Perhaps not. Perhaps there is a method for building an army of Foot soldiers powerful enough to destroy those Turtles and that lizard once and for all. A method we shall steal from the Kraang." He explained.

Kraang-y looked at Father and growled.

* * *

 _ ***Later, back in the City...***_

 **Eleanor's POV.**

The boys and I were just finishing our patrol with a quick look at what's happening at TCRI. The Kraang storage device hasn't brought any other plans as of late, but it never hurts just to look. After waiting and watching for about an hour and a half, nothing's happened.

"All right, guys. Let's pack it in. Nothing's happening." Leo told us.

Raph sighed, "I was afraid this day would come. We've run out of butts to kick."

He kicked Mikey's pink ball off the roof and on to the street. I looked at the street and noticed something going on.

"Wait. Maybe not." I spoke up.

The boys joined me and looked at the ground floor of TCRI. A Foot ninja was snooping around.

"Foot Clan." Mikey identified.

"I don't get it. Just one guy?" Raph wondered.

"Maybe they only need one guy. Maybe this guy is the meanest, baddest, most deadly ninja we've ever seen." Mikey answered.

We watched the ninja struggle to jump up a wall and open the window. I narrowed my eyes at the ninja. His figure and his aura look and feel familiar. And the way he struggled. It's like he was put in the clan just for either comedy or humiliation.

"Or not." Donnie shrugged, as Leo smiled.

The ninja was able to get the window open. He climbed his way through, but he was too big to fit all the way through.

"Anybody else find this dude kind of adorable?" Mikey asked.

"Familiar, yes. Adorable, no." I answered.

"Well, he's not much, but he's all we've got." Leo told us. We all stood up, "Let's go." Leo instructed.

The boys and I jumped down in an alley and dashed toward the ninja. As we reached the street, another wave of ninja surrounded us.

"Ambush!" Leo alerted, as we drew out our weapons.

Raph smiled, "All right!"

And we were locked in combat. Again, these ninjas were easy to take down. Did Bradford even train these guys to freshen their skills? I'm guessing not really.

Once we took them all down, one of the ninjas made hand signals for 'retreat'. With that, the ninjas were gone. The ninja at TCRI was able to get himself out of the window, and started walking to the alley.

"Everything okay? I heard-" The ninja asked, as he got closer. I tripped him to the ground with my tail, "Whoa!" He yelped as he fell. He got up and turned to see us. I pointed my eskrima stick at his face and activated the taser end. "Wait, Ellie, it's me!" The ninja shouted, waving his hands.

I lowered my eskrima and raised an eyebrow. I knew that voice anywhere.

"What?" I asked. I removed the ninja's mask and saw a goofy smiling face that I thought we'd never see again, "Pulverizer?"

"Hey, guys. How awesome is this? Bet you guys were wondering when you'd see me again." Pulverizer said with a smile.

Raph looked away, "No."

Pulverizer chuckled and put his arm around Raph's shoulder, "Raphael, still the jokester, I see. Good one." He aimed to lighly punch Raph in the shoulder, but Raph caught his hand and squeezed it. Pulverizer yelped, "Ow!" He stepped back and smiled again, "Hey, what do you guys think of my new threads? I'm a ninja now."

"How in- What are you doing with the Foot?" Donnie asked.

Pulverizer looked at me, though Donnie asked the question, "Well, last time, you told me I needed to practice. So I joined a Bradford Dojo to hone my craft. I wowed 'em with my smooth moves. And boom! They liked me so much, they asked me If I wanted to join the Foot Clan."

The rest of us looked at him in shock. You have got to be kidding me. The Foot Clan actually allowed a boy, like Pulverizer, to join their ranks?

"Wow, they must really be hurting for dudes." Mikey commented.

"I've only been with 'em a few days, And I've already made the rank of Ashigaru-Sha. Ha." Pulverizer explained to us with a smile.

I face-palmed and looked at Pulverizer, "Do you know what **足軽社** (Ashigaru-Sha) means?"

"No." He answered, shaking his head.

"It means 'footmen', or 'cannon fodder'." I informed him.

Not understanding, Pulverizer chuckled and smiled, "Wow."

"Do you know what that means?" I asked.

He shook his head again, "No."

"In traditional Japanese warfare, the **足軽社** were the expendable soldiers, who were sent in first to waste the enemy's ammunition, and set off traps before the real soldiers arrived." I explained to him.

Pulverizer shook his head, "Nah. Nah, the Foot wouldn't do that. We're the good guys."

"Why would you think that?" I asked.

"We're out there fighting the Kraang just like you." He answered, then he thought about what I just said, "I-I mean, I-I do check for traps, and I-I do get shot at a lot. And-and now that you mention it, they-they do keep calling me 'expendable'."

Huh, imagine that. Pulverizer actually listened to me.

"Why are the Foot fighting the Kraang?" Leo asked.

An idea came to Pulverizer, "I can totally find that out for you. I could be a spy!"

"Pulverizer, please. Do yourself a favor and quit the Foot." I told Pulverizer, throwing the mask to the ground.

Pulverizer picked up the mask, then smiled at me, "Oh, sure. I'll quit the Foot." He winked at me, thinking I'm telling him to stay.

I folded my arms and stared at him, "No, I'm being serious."

He smiled, leaned closer and kept winking at me, "Of course you're serious."

Donnie pushed Pulverizer away from me and shouted, "She is! Stop winking!"

"Right." Pulverizer said, as made his way to the street. He turned to look at us, "I'll recon intel and, uh, send you a text." Then he entered the street and started dancing, "I'm in ninja stealth mode." He danced off to the street. A car honked at him, and crashed elsewhere. We heard Pulverizer shout, "Sorry."

* * *

 _ ***Later, at the Lair...***_

The boys and I returned to the Lair and told Uncle Splinter what happened during our patrol. Splinter didn't look very pleased by our report, so he lead us to the Dojo, where he would teach us our next lession.

Uncle Splinter folded his arms at us, "You five have defeated much of the Foot Clan with ease."

Raph looked at Leo, "Why does he make that sound like a bad thing?"

"Because you have grown complacent!" Splinter answered, instead of Leo. Then he explained, "Each of you has become dependent on your own weapon. But there are times when you may not be able to fight with what you know. And when that happens, you must adapt to your environment."

"Oh, yeah? What if there's only, say, a comic book?" Mikey asked, holding up one of his comic books.

Splinter pushed the comic book into Mikey's face, which caused Mikey to fall on his shell, "Anything can be a weapon."

"Sensei, you can't seriously send us out there, armed with nothing but a comic book." Raph argued.

"For a ninja, anything can be a weapon." Splinter repeated.

"So what do you want us to do?" Leo asked.

"I want you to embrace the unfamiliar. Switch weapons." Splinter instructed us.

The boys' eyes widen. I glanced over at them. They never trained in other weapons?

The boys and I switched weapons. Leo got Donnie's **薙刀** (Naginata/Pole-Blade). Raph got Mikey's nunchucks. Donnie got my eskrima sticks. Mikey got Leo's katanas. And I got Raph's sais.

Mikey smiled, "Look! I'm Leo." Then he imitated Leo's voice, "'Guys, shh. We have to be quiet. Ninjas are quiet. Quiet down'."

Raph and Donnie chuckled, while I tried to surpress a laugh with a blush. That was really adorable and funny. That imitation was Leo to a 'T'.

"I sound nothing like that." Leo argued.

"Yes, that's why we're laughing. Because you sound nothing like that." Raph said with a smile.

"Face each other." Splinter instructed.

Leo and Raph faced each other. And Donnie and Mikey did the same. I turned to face Splinter. All the boys were already having trouble with their new weapons. Mikey looked like he was getting the hang of it. Donnie tried to conjoin the eskrima, but he wasn't doing it right.

" **始め** (Hajime/Start)!" Splinter instructed.

The boys dashed toward each other. Raph hit himself with his nunchucks and tangled himself up with the kusarigama. Leo tripped on his own staff. Mikey spun his katanas, but he lost control and dropped them. Donnie was having trouble understanding the eskrima sticks. He sighed, accidently activated the taser-ends and zapped himself.

The only one that was handling her new weapons was me. I was able to understand Raph's sais and were able to use them easily.

Uncle Splinter grabbed one of my hands and instructed, " **止め** (Yame/Stop)!"

The boys stood back up, and Splinter let go of my hand, so I took a step back.

"That was messed up." Mikey spoke up.

"You will continue to fight this way. It will teach you resourcefulness and versatility." Splinter instructed the boys. Then he walked toward his room.

Raph untangled himself. Mikey asked with a smile, "Not so easy, is it?"

"Hey, I'm getting the hang of it." Raph argued, until he hit the back of his head with his nunchuck again.

Mikey smiled, and then walked into the lounge. I withdrew my sais.

"How do you do it, Ellie? You were able to handle my sais with no problem." Raph asked me.

Leo and Donnie looked at me, asking the same thing.

I shrugged my shoulders, "I'm a visual learner, Raph. I watch, I learn. That's how Miyamoto-Sensei taugh me."

* * *

( **A/N: Another fact about myself in her. I'm a visual learner as well.** )

* * *

The boys nodded in understanding. I turned to make my way to the lounge. After a while, all the boys were in the lounge, working on understanding how their new weapons work. Mikey eating pizza with his new katanas. Leo was working on his posture with his new **薙刀**. Raph was working on the spin movement of his new nunchucks. Donnie was trying to understand how his new eskrima sticks work. And I was getting comfortable with my new sais.

My concentration was broken by my T-Phone's notification. I withdrew my new sais and checked the notification.

"Uh-oh. Text message from 'You-Know-Who'." I alerted.

The boys looked at me, and Mikey looked at me in confusion. The other boys noticed and sighed, as I corrected, "Text message from 'Everybody-But-Mikey-Knows-Who'."

Mikey smiled and gave me a thumbs-up. The boys gathered around me, as I read the message. "Pulverizer is telling us where the Foot are gonna strike next." I informed them.

"What do you know? He's actually useful." Raph said with a small smile, and spinning his nunchucks at me face.

"Yeah, but he can't stay in the Foot. They'll toast him!" I argued.

"Inside information, Ellie? It's worth the risk." Raph replied.

"But we're not the ones taking the risk. Pulverizer is!" I pointed out.

"I know. It's the perfect plan." He shrugged.

"Why are you so worried about him?" Donnie asked me.

"Am I not allowed to worry about an old friend?" I asked with a small shrug.

Leo thought for a second, then sighed, "All right. We'll follow up on his lead, and then bust the poor guy out of the Foot."

"Excuse me? I'm the sword guy." Mikey cried, waving his katanas, "I make the decisions here. Uh, what Leo said."

With that said, we made out way to the surface and find where Pulverizer said the Foot are gonna strike next.

* * *

 _ ***Later, in the City...***_

The boys and I hid in another alleyway outside of TCRI, waiting for Pulverizer. After 10 minutes of waiting, he showed up, shimmeying across the wall, looking around.

"All right, I'm lookin' for traps. Lookin' for traps." He muttered, until Donnie grabbed his wrist and pulled him toward us, "Whoa! Oh, hey, great. You got my message. I have some information for you." He told us.

"Great, great, but we're getting you out of here first." I told Pulverizer, as Donnie picked him up by the nape of his shirt.

Our plan didn't go so well, as we noticed Bradford, Xever, Sam and Foot ninjas were waiting for us near the exit of the alley.

"As soon as we get ourselves outta here." Raph noted.

Donnie put Pulverizer down and pushed him behind him, "Just stay behind us and-"

But, Pulverizer shouted, "Help! It's the Turtles and the Lizard! They've got me!"

"What?" I asked as he shouted.

"Help!" Pulverizer shouted, then whispered to us, "Sorry, guys. Can't blow my cover."

The boys and I glared at Pulverizer. That was a real low blow, dude.

"Not cool, bro." Mikey voiced our thoughts.

The boys and I jumped out of our hiding place and prepared ourselves for the upcoming battle.

"Spread out." Leo instructed us.

"As the one with the swords, I say retreat!" Mikey argued.

"Having the swords doesn't make you leader." Leo told Mikey, as he dashed toward Bradford.

Bradford grabbed Leo's staff, lifted him off the ground and threw him into the garage door, behind us.

Leo got back to his feet, "Not that it's a bad idea. Retreat!"

The boys and I tried to retreat, but Bradford, Xever, Sam and the Foot ninjas stopped us from escaping and locked us into battle. The boys were having trouble, trying land a hit on the enemy. I handling myself quite well. Donnie activated the taser-ends of his eskrima sticks, and tried shocking a ninja down. But the ninja kept avoiding him.

"Donnie, watch the-" I tried to alerted Donnie, but the ninja landed in front of me and dodged another attack, causing Donnie to zapp me to the ground.

"Oh, sorry Elle." Donnie apologised with a sheepish smile. I gave him a smile and stood back up.

"Whoa! Watch where you swing that thing." Mikey shouted to Raph, dodging his nunchucks.

"You should talk." Leo told Mikey, showing that Mikey was aiming his katanas at his chest.

"Sorry. My bad." Mikey apologised with a sheepish smile.

This fight was not going very well at all. Donnie was on the fire escape stairs, but Sam knocked him over the fence and Donnie landed in front of us.

"Oh, this won't work." Donnie told us.

Shredder's henchmen and ninjas grouped up and had us surrounded.

Leo looked at us, "Switch weapons!"

The boys and I threw our weapons into the air, then grabbed the right ones. We jumped into battle, and this time, we were winning.

"This is more like it!" Mikey cheered.

"Oh, yeah. There's something really satisfying about not losing." Raph said with a smile.

As the boys and I defeated the Foot ninjas, it was only Bradford, Xever and Sam that remained. TCRI's back doors opened to reveal two more ninjas, holding canisters of Mutagen. One of the ninjas moved his head to say 'let's go', and Shredder's henchmen left. We chased after them, but they were already gone.

"Guys, Mutagen! The Foot are stealing Mutagen." Donnie alerted us.

"Shredder with Mutagen? Well, that can't be good." Raph summarized.

"Psst. Over here!" We heard Pulverizer called over.

The boys and I ran over to the dumpster and found Pulverizer hiding behind it.

"You don't have to hide, Pulverizer. The Foot are gone." Mikey told him.

Pulverizer cleared his throat and said in a deep voice, "You shouldn't use my real name."

"Your real name is 'Pulverizer'?" Mikey asked.

"No. It's Timothy." Pulverizer answered in the same voice.

I grabbed Timothy by the collar of his shirt and brought him out of hiding, "Stop talking like that, Tim."

Timothy waved my hand off and smiled, "Guys, you'll never guess what Shredder's gonna do with the Mutagen."

"He's gonna create a Mutant army to destroy us?" Donnie guessed.

"Yeah, but there's- there's a lot more to it than that." Timothy answered.

"Really?" I asked with an annoyed expression.

"No. You guessed." Timothy answered, rubbing the back of his head.

"Tim, why are you really doing all of this?" I asked, as the question came to my head.

An idiot, like him, isn't doing all of this for no reason. He's behaving like Donnie with a much lower IQ.

Donnie's eyes widen as realization hit him, "Are you doing all this for a girl?"

Leo and I looked at Donnie with shocked eyes. April and Karai never noticed this, and neither have I. How could I have been so blind? Of course, I've been having a lot on my mind lately, that I missed what empathy has been trying to tell me.

Stupid Eleanor Tang Shen!

Timothy smiled and rubbed the back of his head, "Sort of. Kinda." Then his smile fell, "Yeah. There's this girl that was in my class, before I was expelled. She was really cool. And really pretty. Brave, kind, smart, thinks of others before herself." He looked at me and smiled again, "I swear you sound and act just like her, Ellie. Even your eyes are just like hers."

"Timothy, you're in over your head. Go home." I told him.

But, Leo stepped up, "Wait. Not until he finds out more about Shredder's mutation plan."

Timothy smiled and cheered, "Yeah, baby. The Pulverizer stays in the game." He raised his hand, "Up high."

The boys and I just gave him a 'We're-not-playing' look, and he lowered his hand, "Okay then. I'm off!"

Tim ran off into the street again, "I'm practically invisible." He ran into a car again, "Oh, I'm okay. Sorry. Again. I'm gonna go spy now!"

Raph shrugged his shoulders with a smile, "So what if Shredder's building an army of Mutants? They're still no match for my sais." He raised his hand, "High three!"

The other boys joined in his high three. I couldn't stop worrying about Timothy. He's doing all of this, because he has a crush on me. And yet, he doesn't recognize me under the scales and tail, or know I don't feel the same for him. It's making a stomach turn just thinking what Shredder would do to that boy.

Anywho, the boys and I returned to the Lair. The boys were smiling and cheering on a mission well done.

"And I was, like, makin' the bucks with my old nunchucks." Mikey cheered, spinning his nunchucks.

"I was dropping the Foot like flies with my sais." Raph joined Mikey.

"Yeah, Raph!" Mikey cheered, then looked at his eldest brother, "Leo?"

Leo smiled, "I had my kursowa swingin' and singin'."

The boys cheered again.

I had to voice my own thoughts, "Guys, maybe it's not such a great idea sending Pulverizer into harm's way."

"You worry too much, Elle." Raph said, then started spinning his sais again.

This time, Uncle Splinter showed up and took Raph's sai. He was not very happy with us.

"So you decided not to follow my lesson." He told us.

"Sensei, we don't get it. How does switching weapons help us in a fight? We were doing fine on our own." Raph argued with a shrug.

"Then you still do not understand the point of the lesson." Splinter said, then he added, "So you will learn how to adapt, by having no weapons." The boys and I gasped. Splinter instructed, "Hand over your weapons. Now!"

The boys and I did so and Splinter took our weapons back into the Dojo. I can't say that we didn't have it coming. The boys were having trouble adapting, and didn't bother to ask each other how their weapons worked. Talk about pride. Hehe.

* * *

 _ ***Meanwhile, at the Cathedral...***_

 **Samantha's POV.**

Bradford, Xever, the ninjas and I returned to Father with the canisters of the glowing ooze. Father was pleased with our progress, that he's gonna continue with the plan.

"Lead a convoy of the foot to the warehouse. Bring the fool known as 'Pulverizer'. We will begin our mutation experiment with him." Father instructed Bradford with the next stage.

Kraang-y decided to speak up, "Kraang is giving, that which is known as, a warning. The Mutagen is unstable in this dimension. The results desired may not be the results, that result from the actions taken by the one known as 'Shredder'."

"I think Kraang-y is saying that the alien ooze may not give us what we want." I translated form what I could make out from Kraang-y's words. Kraang-y gave me a look and growled.

"See to it that fail-safe measures are put in place." Father told Bradford, as he returned to his throne.

Bradford bowed and left the room.

* * *

 _ ***Later, back in the Lair...***_

 **Eleanor's POV.**

The boys and I were in the lounge, kinda doing our own thing. Leo was watching Space Heroes. Mikey was reading his comic book. Donnie was writting down some equations. Raph was working out. And I was just pacing back and forth, worrying about Timothy. I knew my kindness would come back to bite me in the tail. I just never thought it would be this soon.

My thoughts were put to a stop, as my T-Phone started ringing. I picked up my T-Phone and looked at the caller-ID.

"Oh. It's our spy." I alerted the boys.

I answered the phone and put it on speaker. Timothy's voice spoke from the other end, "This is Special Agent Delta-Niner, calling from behind enemy lines."

"Spit it out, Timothy." I sighed.

"Okay. The mutation experiment is going down, on Broom street, in The Bowery. They're on their way there now." He informed us, then he added, "And that's not all. You ready for this? Are you ready?"

The boys and I sighed in unison, "Yes."

"Shredder's gonna mutate just one Foot soldier first, as a test. And guess what? I volunteered." He told us.

"What?" I exclaimed. Has Timothy lost it? Him becoming a Mutant? That's insane and very dangerous!

"I know! Isn't that cool?" Timothy cheered.

"No, it's not!" I shouted, "Why would you think that's cool?"

"This is my chance to be like you guys. Throw some Mutagen on me, and boom! I'm a superhero. I'm taking Shredder down." He explained.

"Mutagen is very dangerous. You have no idea what that stuff could do to you." I tried to explain to him.

But, once again, Timothy wasn't listening. He said, "Once I mutate, I'll unleash my mighty mutant powers on Shredder. I'll be all-" He started making Kung-Fu noises, then added, "Yeah, take that, pointy man. Ooh, gotta go. Signing off."

With that, Timothy hung up his phone. My gripped tightened on my T-Phone so much, that my hand was literally shaking. My kindness just bit my tail and bit hard.

" **畜生！** **馬鹿！** (Chikushō! Baka/Damn it! *Ahem* Idiot!)" I shouted, as I punched the nearest wall with enough force, it cracked.

I clutched my head in anger, frustration and worry. I broke my promise to Uncle Splinter. Timothy's about to become a monster. And the boys didn't help me with getting him out of this situation what-so-ever! Do I need anymore reasons to feel the way I do now?

"I'm sorry, Ellie. We should've gotten that guy out when we had the chance." Donnie apologised, placing a hand over my shoulder.

"Well, we're gonna get him out now. Let's go." Leo told us.

With that, we left the Lair and started the Shell-Raiser. We entered the city and tried to track down the Foot Clan. We were able to find a group of motorcycles and one of the had Timothy on it. And another had Xever driving. That only means one thing.

"The Foot!" Raph alerted.

We drove into the group, and some of them fell off their bikes. Xever looked back, slowed down and did a 180-turn to face us.

"Eat hot trash, fish boy!" Raph shouted, as he fired the garbage cannon at Xever.

Xever was able to dodge most of the cannon-fire, but the last one hit his front tire, and launched him into the air. We lost him as he flew over our heads. However, the sound of footsteps on the roof gave us an idea where he flew off to.

"Uh-oh." Raph grimaced, as the sound of footsteps was replaced by something attacking the garbage cannon.

"He's on the roof!" Donnie alerted.

"I got this." Raph assured, as he opened the hatch to the roof.

In seconds, he came straight back down with his head in his shell. Mikey screamed, until Raph pulled his head back out. Xever was still attacking the Shell-Raiser.

Raph stood up and returned to his station, "All right. 'Plan B'."

With the cannon, Raph knocked Xever off the roof, and Xever was hanging on to the nuzzle on the cannon, trying not to fall.

"Whatcha gonna do now?" Raph asked in a cocky tone.

As a reply, Xever used one of his robotic feet to destroy one of the tires. He succeeded and the Shell-Raiser started flying out of control. Leo tried his best to keep the van on the road.

"Why do I ask these questions? Why?" Raph asked, folding his arms in a pout.

The Shell-Raiser flipped over and fell on its side. We couldn't go further with it. Xever hopped back on to his motorcycle and drove off. The boys and I exit the Shell-Raiser and watched Xever drive off.

" **伯父さん** (Oji-san/Uncle) told me Timothy is my responsibility. I gotta stop him." I told the boys with determination.

I released the Stealth Bike, got my helmet on and quickly followed after Xever. My grip tighten on the handle-bars. I am not letting someone like Timothy lose his humanity for the sake of a childhood crush. After a few minutes of driving, I arrived at the building. I released a burst of speed, and jumped in through the window. The Stealth Bike charged through the window, and I jumped off, as it landed on the ground.

I tackled Timothy away from the Mutagen, landed in front of a group of creates and removed my helmet. Bradford and Xever looked at me, as I pushed Timothy behind me.

"Get them!" Bradford ordered the Foot ninjas.

I took the stance of the Southern Praying Mantis stance and waited for the Foot ninjas to strike.

* * *

( **A/N: Toph's stance from ATLA.** )

* * *

I knew I didn't have a weapon, so I had to improvise. The first Foot ninja charged toward me and tried to attack me with his katana. I grabbed his hand and performed **背負い投げ** (Seoi Nage/Shoulder Throw).

Once I had the ninja over my back, I slipped the katana from his hand and into my own. I used the katana to take down the other ninjas. I didn't notice Timothy snuck past me, until I noticed he was running toward the Mutagen tank.

"Now's my chance!" Timothy shouted, as he ran under the tank.

A Foot ninja was able to kick me in the back, knocking me down. I struck back and took him out. Timothy arrived at the platform and started pulling on the release lever.

"Timothy, no!" I exclaimed, as I pulled him away from the tank. I looked at him in the eye, "What are you doing?"

"I'm gonna be a Mutant like you." Timothy answered with a smile.

I shook my head, "No, you're not! Mutation can be notoriously unpredictable." Then I shouted, "AND IT'S REALLY STUPID!"

Timothy's smile faded, and his eyes widen in shock. I've seen that look before. The same look I gave to Uncle Splinter and Karai. "Ezzie?" He gasped.

I nodded my head, then Bradford threw me away from Timothy. I turned my attention to Bradford and attacked him with nearly everything I had.

"I'll save you, Ezzie!" I heard Timothy shout.

"Wait! Didn't you hear what I-" I shouted back, until I was able to knock Bradford down and notice Timothy was going for the Mutagen again.

I tackled him away from the tank, "I'm saving you!"

But Xever kicked me into the air. I grabbed a hook and chain and swung my way toward him. I kicked Xever down, landed back on the ground and helped Timothy back on to his feet.

"Okay. Now, we're getting outta here." I told him, until the remaining ninjas surrounded us with their own weapons. I pushed Timothy behind me, and took a stance with my new katana.

From the roof, the boys arrived. They reached for their weapons, but they remembered, "Oh, yeah, no weapons." Leo sighed, then he told his brothers, "Spread out, guys. Remember, anything can be a weapon."

With that said, the boys and I spead out, found a type of weapon, and began taking down the Foot ninjas, Bradford and Xever.

* * *

 **Timothy's POV.**

I watched Ezzie and the Turtles fight the Foot ninjas and the other Mutants. Unfortunately, the dog Mutant was able to sneak past them and turned his attention to me.

"Okay, 'Big-Dog-Man-Thing'. You asked for it." I warned the Dog Mutant, taking a stance.

The Dog Mutant only chuckled at me. His size kinda scared me, but I wasn't going down without a fight. If Ezzie was able to become a Mutant, and can take down some bad-guy butt, so can I!

I ran to the tank of Mutagen one more time, and yanked on the lever, "My mutation!"

The tank opened to pour the ooze on to me. The last thing I heard was Ezzie's voice crying, "Timothy, no!"

But, excitement got the best of me and I smiled, "Oh, this is gonna be-" The Mutagen fell on to me, and I couldn't help but scream in pain, "It burns! I didn't think it would burn so bad."

The sensation of the ooze was too much for me to bare. I tried reaching and crying for help, but everyone ran from me.

"Oh, man, it really burns." Were my last words, as the Mutagen started changing me.

* * *

 **Eleanor's POV.**

Oh no. I was too late. Timothy poured Mutagen on himself and now, the effects are starting to take place. The Foot ninjas stayed away from Timothy as much as possible.

"What happened?" Raph asked.

"Pulverizer got his wish." Donnie answered.

"And we got a problem." Leo added, as he grabbed my arm.

"That dude's straight nasty." Mikey said, as Timothy walked toward us.

The boys and I backed away from Timothy. The Mutagen was even mutating his aura. This isn't right. Not right at all. Timothy was walking around the area, reaching around, as if he needed to touch something. But he was covered in clothing. There was nothing to mix his DNA with.

"Holy mackerel." Donnie gasped, as Timothy walked by us again.

Leo pulled me on top of the crates behind us, with him and his brothers.

"Timothy is jacked up." Mikey gasped.

Timothy stopped walking around and fell to his knees. His clothing, skin and muscles melted and fused together to create a single-celled, acid-like jelly, encasing his organs, eyes and mouth. He 'stood' back up and roared. I could still sense Timothy within this creature. But, he's fading quite quickly.

"Make sure those fools don't escape." Bradford ordered the ninjas, and he added, placing something on the nearest pillar, "I'm gonna blow this place sky high."

The boys and I heard beeping and the crates were covered with explosives, and the timer was set on two minutes.

"Uh-oh. The entire warehouse is rigged with plastic explosives." Donnie alerted us.

The ninjas charged in to attack us, but the boys and I were able to hold them off. However, they turned and made their escape.

"Let's go. Lock 'em in." Bradford shouted.

The boys and I chased after Bradford, Xever and the Foot ninjas, but they were able to close the doors and locked them from the outside. Terrific.

"We're trapped." Leo sighed, then shouted, "We need to get out now!"

"But what about Tim?" I asked, pointing to the new Mutant that was eating away at the crates.

Hearing my voice, Timothy stopped what he was doing and turned his attention to me and the Turtles. The boys and I grouped up. Timothy roared at us and prepared to attack. The boys threw their weapons at Timothy. Timothy roared in pain, but the weapons went right through him, and were melted or cut in half.

"He just ate our weapons!" Mikey cried.

"And it looks like we're next." Donnie summarized.

Timothy started attacking us. Aware of his acidic touch, the boys and I stayed clear of him.

"Pulverizer, it's us! The Turtles!" Donnie called, trying to get Timothy to stop.

But, Timothy kept attacking us. The boys and I kept dodging, until we were cornered to a stack of crates. The boys tried to call Timothy to stop, but it wasn't working. It just confused him.

"Timothy! Timothy, stop!" I shouted.

Hearing my voice, Timothy stopped what he was doing and looked at me. I looked into his eyes. There he was. The knuckle-headed boy from 4th Grade.

I gently approached the new Mutant, "It's me. Ezzie. Remember?" Timothy reached his arms to me. I smiled, "Easy, now. It's okay."

Timothy turned and looked at his reflection in the windows. He touched his face in sadness, then he turned to us and roared. He was blaming us for what happened to him. Timothy lunged at us, but the boys and I jumped out of the way.

Leo looked the timer of the explosives, and it reached 55 seconds left, "We still gotta get outta here. Let's go!"

"Not without Timothy." Donnie argued.

"And how do you suppose we get that blob outta here?" Mikey asked him.

Donnie looked behind us and saw the Mutagen tank, "I got an idea." He looked at Raph, "Raph, get the Stealth Cycle." Then he turned to me and Mikey, "Mikey, Ellie, get Timothy's attention."

With that said, Raph made his way to the Stealth Bike, and Donnie made his way to the tank.

Leo followed after Donnie, "It better take less than ten seconds."

Mikey and I stood in front of Timothy, as he looked at us.

"Timothy! Hey, Timothy!" Mikey called, trying to draw Timothy's attention.

"Tim, over here!" I called and whistled.

We got Timothy's attention and he slithered his way toward us, to attack. Mikey and I dodged his attacks as much as we could. Timothy swung his arms at us, then started shooting his eyes at us. Raph got the Stealth Bike up-right and got the engine running. And Donnie helped Leo jump to the top of the Mutagen tank.

"Mikey! Ellie! Lead him over here." Donnie instructed Mikey and I, then he told Leo, as we lead Timothy toward the platform, "Leo, get ready to jump."

Mikey lost his footing and fell on to the platform. Timothy was just above him.

"Now!" Donnie shouted.

Leo jumped on to the tank, which caused the tank to fall on to Timothy. I moved Mikey out of the way, before any acid could fall on him. Timothy was incased in the tank, unable to move.

"Raph!" Donnie called out.

Raph revved the Stealth Bike and drove toward us. Mikey, Donnie, Leo and I jumped on top od the Stealth Bike's concrete shell, and Donnie placed a trashcan lid on top of the tank. The timers of the explosives reached zero and we were blown out of the building, as it exploded into flames. Timothy's tank landed in front of me and rolled over, so I could see Timothy's face.

My heart sank at the sight of his state of mind and being. I don't need to explain why.

* * *

 _ ***Later, back in the Lair...***_

The boys and I returned to the Lair, with Timothy. Leo explained the story to Uncle Splinter, and he understood why I would feel so bad.

"Do you think Timothy is happy with his new state of being?" Uncle Splinter asked, as he inspected Timothy's condition.

Mikey started tapping the glass.

"Seems that way. He wanted to be a Mutant, and he got his wish." Leo answered.

I stopped Mikey from his tapping. He looked at me and I shook my head.

Raph looked at Donnie, "Donnie, we're letting you keep him. But you gotta stash him in your lab, so I don't have to look at him."

I placed my hand on the glass, "I promise, Timothy. One day, we'll turn you back." I placed my forehead over the tank for a second, then I looked at Donnie, "Right, Donnie?"

Donnie looked at me and placed a hand over my shoulder, "I'll try..." Then he smirked, "Ezzie."

The other boys started chuckling and laughing at my childhood nickname. I couldn't help but laugh as well. It was a very silly nickname. How did Timothy come up with it, I'll never know.

* * *

 _ ***Meanwhile, back at the Cathedral...***_

 **Samantha's POV.**

Bradford and Xever had returned from the mission. By the looks on their faces, the mission didn't go so well. Why am I not surprised.

"Our Mutagen supply was lost in the explosion." Bradford finished explaining what happened during the mission.

Father was not really happy, "They have dismantled my army and thwarted my plans."

Kraang-y spoke up, "Kraang is in, what is known as, agreement. The ones, known as the Turtles and Eleanor Hamato, must become, known as the Turtles and Eleanor Hamato who are, destroyed."

Father looked at Kraang-y and lightly smiled, "It seems we have a common enemy."

An alliance with an alien race. This is gonna be so much fun. ^_^


	23. Parasitica

Parasitica.

 **Eleanor's POV.**

 _*Sigh*_ What a boring patrol. Oh, hey viewers. Sorry, but you caught me and the boys at a boring time. We were just starting our Kraang hunt. They've been awfully quiet for the last few days. Until we got news sightings of Kraang experimenting in an apartment building.

The boys and I are currently in the Shell-Raiser, heading toward the lab. And unfortunately, Mikey was growing increasingly bored.

"Another day, another Kraang hunt." Mikey sighed. Then he got an idea and startled Raph, "Hey, Raph! Fire the weapons!"

"I don't think so." Raph answered.

"See, that's your problem." Mikey pointed out, then added, "If I was in charge of weapons, I'd be firing at things all the time. That mailbox, blam. That news stand, boom. That port-a-potty, splat."

"And that's why you're not in charge of the weapons." I spoke up.

Then Leo look back and told Mikey, "Now get back to your station and tell me which way to go."

Mikey returned to his station, "Okay. Uh, you should turn right three blocks ago."

Donnie, Leo and Raph groaned in annoyance. As I sighed in the same tone, "Michelangelo!"

Leo turned the Shell-Raiser around and returned three blocks back. We arrived at the apartment building, and parked into the alley, just outside of the building.

The boys and I exit the Shell-Raiser, and looked at the apartment building. Only one light was off.

"This must be the hidden Kraang lab." Donnie summarized, as he saw the window.

"Let's trash the place!" Raph said, ready for a fight.

"Hold on, Raph. This is a recon mission. We go in there, find out what the Kraang are up to, and then trash the place." Leo told Raph.

Raph sighed in a pout, "Fine. Wake me when we get to the trashing part."

The boys and I climbed into the apartment, through the window. The entire place looked like a science lab, but it was trashed and the only stuff left were empty Mutagen canisters and empty Kraangdroids, ripped in half.

"Oh, man. Someone beat us to it." Raph sighed with a shlump.

The boys and I continued looking around and saw that the canisters were pierced by something sharp and pointed, like a senbon. And the Kraangdroids didn't have much damage on them.

"It looks like one of their Mutagen experiments got away from them." Leo summarized, as he looked at the table.

Donnie and I looked at the walls and saw there was a group of poster charts on all types of arthropods of the hexapoda subphylum; insects with wings and six legs. Like winged ants, flies, wasps, bees, hornets, ect.

"Seems they were doing experiments on arthropods." Donnie informed.

"In the hexapoda subphylum. Weird." I commented, as I raised an eyebrow.

The boys and I continued to look around the lab. Mikey was doing his own thing, swinging on the office chair. Donnie and I walked over to a cabinet that looked like that hasn't been damaged to bad. Donnie opened the cabinet, and inside was science equipment. And it was in good condition.

Donnie smiled, "Hey, this equipment's still good."

I looked at the lower shelf and saw a centrifuge in really good condition, "Donnie, check this out."

Donnie looked and saw the centrifuge as well. He smiled and chuckled, "Nice centrifuge."

I lightly chuckled, "This stuff would be great for the Lab."

Donnie smiled at me, "Great minds think alike, huh?" I smiled back.

Raph looke at Leo, "If I ever get that excited about a centrifuge, just put me out of my misery."

Mikey picked up a Kraangdroid head, then he heard something. He looked at the shadows and asked, "Hey, Donnie, how big do you think one of those arthropods might be?"

"Well, a bee is about 4 millimeters, and a wasp would be... 6." Donnie answered.

"Then what the heck is that?" Mikey shouted, pointing to the shadows above us.

Leo, Raph, Donnie and I looked, and out of the shadows, appeared a Mutant wasp, around the size of Raph, from head to stinger. She saw us and flew in to attack. We narrowly dodged away from her. The wasp turned around and flew toward us again. Leo, Mikey, Donnie and I moved aside, but Raph didn't have time. The wasp charged and tackled him on to the table.

"Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!" Raph cried, as the wasp tried to bite him.

Donnie drew out his staff and whacked the wasp away from Raph. The wasp turned his attention to Donnie. Donnie drove the wasp away, so Raph can attack. The wasp landed and tried to attack Raph with its stinger. But Raph jumped over the wasp. The wasp flew toward the ceiling, taking Raph with her. Raph fell to the ground, and the wasp turned her attention to me.

I narrowed my eyes at the wasp. There was something familiar about the wasp's color pattern and the shape of her stinger. Uh-oh. The wasp tried to attack me with her stinger, but I was able to dodge, and her stinger pierced through the wall behind me. The dent was identical to what smashed the Mutagen canisters.

I moved away from the wasp, and Leo drew out his katana and whacked the wasp away from me and hit the wall. The boys and I hid behind the cabinets. The wasp started crawling around. Her actions gave me the feeling she was protecting something.

"We need a plan, and fast." Leo told us.

"I know. I'll catch him with my kusarigama chain." Mikey suggested, as the wasp started throwing things around.

"That wasp is too strong." Leo pointed out, then suggested, "How about this? Mikey, you get it to chase you and we'll ambush it."

"Why don't we ever do my plans?" Mikey asked.

"Because they're your plans." Leo answered, then told him, "Now go!"

Mikey groaned, and jumped on top of the cabinet. He called the wasp, "Hey, wasp! Come and get it!"

Mikey was able to catch the wasp's attention, and she started chasing after him. Mikey ran toward another cabinet, and took a sharp turn. The wasp hit the cabinet and quickly recovered. She crawled on to the ceiling and caught Mikey from in front of him. Mikey screamed and started running around the table. The wasp followed him.

"He's really turned running away screaming into an art form." Raph commented on Mikey's running pattern.

"Well, at least he's good at something, right?" Donnie commented, then asked.

As Mikey ran, he lost his footing and fell to the ground. Donnie corrected himself, "Good-ish."

The wasp flew above Mikey and started trying to sting him. I was about to jump in to help, but Leo grabbed my arm and shook his head. Then he pointed to the top of the cupboards in front of us. Mikey dodged, got back to his feet and started running again. Donnie, Leo, Raph and I made our way to the top of the cupboards and waited for the right moment.

"On my mark." Leo whispered. Mikey ran in a circle three times, before Leo called, "Now!"

Leo, Donnie, Raph and I jumped to capture the wasp, but Mikey wrapped his kusarigama around the wasp, and threw it to the ground. Raph, Donnie, Leo and I landed on the ground with a thud.

Mikey smiled, "Ha. How you like me now?"

Thinking smart, the wasp started flying again and charged forward, to force Mikey to fly into us. Leo ducked, but Raph, Donnie and I were not so lucky. Mikey crashed into us and threw us into the locked door.

"A lot less than I did a few seconds ago." Raph answered Mikey's cocky question.

Leo drew out one of his katanas, and loosen the kusarigama chain. Mikey landed on top of us. The wasp flew above Leo and stung him.

Upon impact of the sting, Leo yelped, "Ow!"

However, the wasp wasn't lucky. It flew around a few feet, then went belly-up and fell to the ground, dead.

Mikey smiled and cheered, "See? My plan worked. I tired it out."

"You didn't tire it out. The wasp died because it lost its stinger." Donnie explained to Mikey.

"Yeah, in me." Leo finished, as he showed that he had the stinger in his upper right arm. He lightly glared at Mikey, "Thanks a lot, Mikey."

Mikey gave Leo a sheepish smile, "Heh, sorry, dude."

Raph covered his mouth, as if trying not to barf.

I looked at the stinger, "Let me see that." I walked over to Leo for a closer look. I gently grabbed the stinger, "Hold still, Leo."

I pulled the stinger out of Leo's arm and Leo yelped, "Ow!"

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"Pretty sore, but I think I'll be..." Leo answered, then he went quiet for a second, then finished, "Fine."

Then Leo walked off. I looked at the stinger. It really looked familiar. Like something around my childhood. I did something to do with bugs, but I can't recall what.

Donnie politely took the stinger and examined it, "Mutations are generally anthropomorphic. I've never seen Mutagen create giants like this before."

I smiled, "It's incredible."

"Yeah, real fascinating, Donnie." Raph said in a sarcastic tone.

Then Leo spoke up in a gasp, "Whoa. Look."

Raph, Mikey, Donnie and I looked over and saw Leo removing a piece of newspaper, to reveal a wasp egg, around the size of a human baby. That must've been what the wasp was protecting.

"It's some kind of egg." Donnie gasped.

I narrowed my eyes at it, and I saw a small aura within the shell, "It... It's alive."

Mikey smiled, "Stand back. I'll handle this."

"I'm betting on the egg." Raph said, as Mikey drew out of his nunchucks, and began swinging it.

Mikey was about to hit the egg with his nunchuck, but Leo grabbed his wrist, "Wait!"

The boys and I gave Leo a look. He was slightly glaring at us. That's... odd.

"We're not hurting it. We came here to find out what the Kraang are up to, and this egg is our only clue. We should take it back to the Lab, and let Donnie analyze it." Leo explained, turning his attention back to the egg.

"Great idea. Let's take the Mutant-Wasp egg into our home, where we live." Raph answered in a sarcastic tone again, "What's the worst that could happen?"

Leo looked at us, "It's not safe leaving this around." Then he assured with a smile, "It'll be fine. I'll just keep an eye on it."

Mikey rolled his eyes and sighed, "I'll get it."

He was about to pick the egg up, until Leo glared at him and snapped, "Hands off!"

Mikey yelped and stepped back. Raph, Donnie and I looked at each other. It's not like Leo to act like that.

"Dude, are you all right?" Raph asked, "Cause unmotivated bursts of anger are kind of my thing."

"It's just that the egg could be fragile." Leo explained, picking up the egg, "Michelangelo cannot be trusted with it." He stood up, "I'll carry it myself."

With that, Leo walked toward the open window of the apartment.

"I'm beginning to think he likes that egg more than me." Mikey said to Raph.

Raph smiled and placed his arm over Mikey's shoulder, "Well, the egg talks less than you, so there's that."

Donnie rolled his eyes and followed after Mikey and Raph. I stared at Leo with worried eyes. He just called Mikey by his full name. Leo hardly ever does that. I'm starting to think that wasp might've done something to him.

* * *

 _ ***Later, back at the Lair...***_

The boys and I returned to the Lair, in the Shell-Raiser, with the egg and the other stuff we found. It wasn't an easy drive. Since Leo was really concerned about the egg, he, Raph and I had to switch places. Leo took my station, Raph took Leo's and I took Raph's.

Leo was the first to exit the Shell-Raiser. Then Raph followed.

"I got a really bad feeling about keeping that thing in the Lair." Raph voiced his thoughts.

Leo turned to Raph, "Raphael, think of all we could learn from it."

Raph walked out of the van, followed by Mikey, myself, then Donnie. I stared at Leo. He did it again.

"You know what's inside wasp eggs, right?" Raph asked, as Mikey and I walked out of the Shell-Raiser. "Here's a hint: Wasps!" He shouted, as Donnie exit.

Mikey tapped Raph's shell, "That's not a hint, dude. You gave it away."

Raph, Donnie and I looked at each other again. Leo's really acting strange. Donnie shrugged, but Raph and I stared at Leo.

The boys and I took the egg into the Lab. I put the other stuff on to Donnie's desk, as Leo placed the egg on to a beanie bag, in between the lights. I felt the aura calling out, but I stayed quiet.

Donnie went to his knees and smiled, "Fascinating."

He drew out his scalple, until Leo shouted, "Stop! What are you doing?"

"Dissecting it." Donnie answered in a simple tone.

"Absolutely not!" Leo cried, as he got in between his brother and the egg, "This is the only egg we have. We need to learn how it develops."

Donnie shrugged, "Well, then. I guess I'll just keep staring at it."

Leo glared, "Good idea." Then he pointed to Raph, Mikey and myself, "From over there."

Donnie stepped over and lightly smiled. Leo sharped his glare, and Donnie stepped back into Raph, Mikey and I. Leo returned his attention to the egg.

"Well, I think I will do something in the other room." Donnie said, then looked at his brothers and I, "Raph, Elle, Mikey, care to join me?"

"Not unless you get more specific." Mikey smiled.

I grabbed his mask tails, and dragged him out of the Lab, "Come on!"

Donnie lead Raph, Mikey and I into the kitchen, so we could talk about Leo, without him hearing us.

"Okay, Leo's acting totally weird, right?" Donnie pointed out.

"Yeah. It's like he's obsessed with that egg." Raph answered.

"He used your full names." I noted, then asked, "He doesn't do that very often, does he?"

Donnie shook his head, "No, he doesn't."

"Let's ask Splinter what to do." Mikey suggested.

I shook my head, "No dice, guys. He took April out for a training exercise. They won't be back until some time tomorrow."

"Okay, look, we gotta destroy that egg, before it hatches." Raph told us.

"Agreed, but he won't let us get anywhere near it." Donnie said, then noted about Leo.

"Well, maybe we make him come to us." Mikey proposed.

The rest of us nodded in agreement. Then I felt a strange sharp pain in my head. I placed my hand over my forehead, as I started hearing buzzing and bug-like chirping. I felt Leo's aura flaring out of control and I could hear him screaming in pain.

I felt Raph place a hand on my back, "Ellie, are you okay?"

I shook my head. The pain was gone, and Leo stopped screaming and his aura died down.

I gave Raph a reassuring smile, "I'm alright, Raph. I'm just worried about Leo." I looked down to the table and narrowed my eyes in thought, "That wasp looked very familiar."

* * *

 _ ***Later, that evening...***_

And so, we started executing our plans to draw Leo away from the egg. First Mikey, with his pizza idea.

"Who wants pizza?" He asked, opening a box of pizza, we just ordered, "Leo's favorite! Jellybean, anchovy, and jalapeno!"

Donnie picked a slice and whispered to Mikey, "Isn't that your favorite?"

"Just go with it." He whispered back.

Donnie and Raph opened the doors to the Lab, and we began munching on the pizza. We made loud noises of delight, to emphesize that it was tasty.

Mikey opened his eyes and called over, "Leo?"

But Leo wasn't responding.

Next, we went with my idea; Space Heroes. Leo never misses an episode. I switched on the television, and changed the channel to Space Heroes. Me and the boys gathered to watch it. Today's episode was taking place in the spaceship.

"Oh, boy. That not-at-all-stupid Space Heroes show is on!" Raph shouted, so Leo could hear.

"Gentlemen, I've finally found the woman I am going to marry." Captain Ryan announced to his crewmates, "Say hello to the future Mrs. Captain Ryan." He introduced a beautiful woman wearing purple.

The woman smiled and transformed into a strange-looking alien.

"Dr. Mindstrong, Captain Ryan has fallen under the control of a deadly Hypnoticon!" Mr. Crenshaw gasped, as Dr. Mindstrong narrowed his eyes.

"How about some sugar, baby?" Captain Ryan asked his bride-to-be. The alien licked around Ryan's face.

I leaned into the door and smiled, "You're missing a really good one, Leo."

Again, no response. This is really starting to worry me.

* * *

 _ ***A little later...***_

 **Raphael's POV.**

Donnie was next, and he remembered that Leo had a collection of Space Heroes comic books. And he had one special edition that he wont let anyone touch. So, Mikey went into Leo's room and grabbed it. Ellie said she wasn't feeling very good, so she decided to turn-in early.

Donnie and I followed Mikey into the Lab.

"Hey, Mikey, where you going with Leo's signed Space Heroes issue one, that he keeps wrapped in plastic?" I asked in an acting tone.

"Well, we're out of toilet paper, and I thought the pages from this rare and valuable comic book would do the job nicely." Mikey answered in the same tone, then he started rubbing the coming book on his shell, "Oh, yeah, that feels great. Hope Leo doesn't see me."

Again, Leo just stayed focused on the egg.

"Wow, he's farther gone than I thought." Donnie noted.

I had enough of what's going on, "All right, that tears it. I'm destroying the egg tonight. Myself!"

* * *

 _ ***Later, that night...***_

As soon as everyone else was asleep, I snuck out of my room, and made my way to the Lab. So, I could get rid of that egg and get Leo back to his old self.

I opened the doors of the Lab, and saw the egg was unguarded. Now's my chance. I drew out one of my sais, and approached the egg. I noticed the egg has gotten bigger, and had a more greyish tint. It won't be long before it hatches.

I raised my sai, and aimed to destroy the egg, but Leo appeared and caught my attack with his katana.

"Leo, what are you doing?" I asked Leo.

Leo looked at me. His eyes were all black with white pupils. It's like he was possessed by something. He threw me away from egg, from over his shoulder.

I recovered and looked at my older brother, "If that thing hatches, it might try to eat us."

Leo said nothing, but he prepared to attack me. He snarled, and I saw a strange substance, dripping from his teeth. It must be the wasp venom.

I narrowed my eyes and drew out my other sai, "All right, this freak show ends now."

I charged toward Leo and attacked, but he blocked my attack, and leaned in to bite me.

I jumped back, "Come on, bro. Snap out of it!"

But Leo wasn't listening. He charged toward me and attacked. I blocked and dodged his attacks. I was able able to catch he katana and threw it out of his hands. I threw him a few feet from myself.

"You're not yourself, Leo. Let me help you." I told my brother.

But, he turned at attacked me again. I tried to keep my distance, but Leo was able to get into a roll. I felt a sharp pain and kicked Leo off. He landed near the egg and stood up. I looked at my arm, where the pain was, and saw a bite mark.

I looked at Leo, "Did you bite me?" He smiled as an answer, "You bit me!"

* * *

 _ ***Meanwhile, in Ellie's Room...***_

 **Eleanor's POV.**

 ***Dream***

I opened my eyes to find myself in a Japanese pond house. It was similar to where I met Aunt Tang Shen. The house was smaller, the koi pond was bigger. And the place was surrounded by sakura petals. I walked across the bridge and looked around.

"Hello? Anyone here?" I called out.

The more I got closer to the house, the darker the scene became. The house rotted away. The pond dried out. The koi transformed into wasps and flew away. Finally, there was only darkness.

I looked around again, "Hello? Can anyone hear me?"

As a response, I heard groaning and screaming. It was Leo's voice. I followed it and saw Leo, on his knees, clutching his head in pain. As if he was trying to fight something, but he was losing bad.

"Leo?" I called.

Leo gasped and looked at me. He wasn't looking too good. He stood up and turned to fully face me, "Ellie? What are you doing here? How did you get here?" He asked.

"I don't know. I thought you could tell me." I answered. Then I asked, looking around, "What's going on here?"

Leo shook his head, and clutched his head again, "No. You- You shouldn't be here. You have to stay away from me."

I reached out to him and put his hands in mine, "Leo, tell me what's wrong? Your brothers and I can help you."

Leo pushed me away, "You can't. It's... too late now. I'm... too... dangerous."

Then, from his shell, Leo grew wasp-like wings. The same wings that the Mutant Wasp had.

Then he looked at me again, eyes completely black with white pupils, and roared, " _GET OUT!_ "

 ***Dream End***

* * *

I sat up with a gasp, "Leo!"

I took a few breaths, calming myself down. Then I heard screaming, coming from the Lab. I recognized the voice, "Raph?"

I got out of bed, grabbed my gear and left my room. I entered the Lab and saw Raph in the same position as Leo was in my dream.

"Raph!" I cried, running toward him. I went on one knee, to meet his level, "Are you alright?" I asked. I ran my hand over his forehead. His aura was flaring out of control, and his temperature was burning up, "You're burning a fever."

"Ellie... Get away... From me..." Raph tried to warn.

"What?" I asked.

I noticed Raph was holding his arm. I removed his hand and saw a bite mark.

I gasped, "Oh no, you've been bitten."

Raph nodded and placed his hand over his crown. Then I looked around and noticed that Raph was alone with the wasp egg.

I looked at Raph and asked, "Where's Leo?"

I heard the sound of metal swinging in the air, coming from behind me. In a swift motion, I drew out one of my eskrima sticks, blocked the attack and pushed the attacker a few feet from me and Raph. I looked a the attacker's face. It was Leo, with black eyes, just like my dream. But, he was missing the wings. Realization hit me as a memory struck my mind.

The wasp!

I stood up and drew my other eskrima, "Leo, snap out of it! The wasp has its hold on you. You can't let that egg hatch."

Leo didn't answer. Instead, he charged to attack me again. I blocked and countered some of his attacks. But, he was able to use his agility to trip me off-guard and he caught me before I fell, with his hands on my back. I looked at him, and he smiled.

Then Leo pressed his lips against mine, before I could react. My heart skipped three beats, and I felt my face go beet red. Leo's kissing me! Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my mouth. I pushed Leo away with a telekinetic push. I checked where pain was, and it was in my tongue.

I looked at Leo, "You... You bit my tongue?"

He smiled, and Raph stood up and smiled at me as well. He had the same eyes as Leo. My head started burning up, as the infection of the bite started taking its effect on me. The bug-like chirping. The buzzing wings and the voices of the egg calling to me.

"Oh no..."

* * *

 _ ***The next morning...***_

 **Michelangelo's POV.**

I began stretching, as Donnie exit his room. The Lair was very quiet this morning. Way too quiet.

"Um, where are Raph and Ellie?" Donnie asked, as he noticed they weren't around.

"He said he was going for the egg last night. I'm not sure where Ellie is." I answered.

Donnie walked over to the Lab. I followed close behind him. The door was slightly open. Donnie and I peeked and saw that Raph was with Leo, watching the egg. That's not good.

"Oh, boy." Donnie grimaced.

We quietly entered the Lab. But Leo and Raph must've sensed us, because they drew out their weapons.

Donnie nervously chuckled, "Uh, Raph? Heh, uh, what you up to there, bro?"

"Something's definitely wrong." I whispered to Donnie, "He's gone all 'Leo-who's-not-Leo' on us."

Donnie looked at Raph, then gasped, "Look at his arm."

I looked and saw a bite mark. Leo and Raph turned to face us and growled. Their eyes were all black, except for the white pupils.

"He got bit. Leo must've bit him." Donnie told me, as we backed away from our older brothers.

I noticed a certain lizard was missing. I looked over to Donnie, "Where's Ellie?"

We heard snarling from above us. Donnie looked up and gasped, "She's creeping above us."

I looked up and saw Ellie was stalking us from the ceiling. How does she do that? Noticing we saw her, Ellie jumped down from the ceiling, landed in between Leo and Raph, and drew her weapons as well. She snarled and I saw a bite mark on her tongue. How did that happen?

"Bros, snap out of it, dudes." I tried to tell the possessed trio.

But my words didn't reach them. Leo, Ellie and Raph charged toward us. Donnie and I ran out of the Lab and Donnie grabbed one of the doors.

"Get the doors, get the doors!" He shouted, as I grabbed the other door and we closed the doors on the trio. I used my kusarigama chain to lock the door shut.

Donnie sighed in relief, "That ought to hold 'em."

Raph, Ellie and Leo started banging on the door, trying to pry it open.

Donnie's eyes widen in realization, then looked at me, "Mikey, the garage door!"

"On it!" I said, as I made my way to the garage door of the Lab. I jumped and grabbed to door, but it was jammed. "Oh, no! Not now! Come on!" I shouted, as I tried jiggling it loose.

Ellie, Leo and Raph heard me, and started running toward garage door. I continued to try and get it closed. As soon as Raph was near the exit, the door got loose and I was able to close it. Raph hit his head hard against the door.

I sighed in relief. I was able to close the door in the nick of time. Leo, Raph and Ellie began attacking the door. Which startled me and I fell to the ground. On the ground, I found something pretty cool. It looked like one of Donnie's storage device things, but it was shaped like a katana. And it had something written on the blade.

I returned to Donnie and showed him what I found, "Hey, what's this?"

Donnie looked and took it, "It's a flash drive." He looked at the blade and read, " _'Read me'_." He gasped, "This is Ellie's handwriting."

I raised an eyebrow, "What does that mean?"

"I think Ellie knows what has infected Leo, Raph and herself. But, she couldn't remember, until it was too late. She must've done this before she turned." Donnie explained to me. Then, he grabbed his laptop, "Let's see what she wants us to find out."

Donnie took the laptop into the kitchen and inserted the drive. There were a lot of files on this thing.

We found a file that read _'Donnie and Mikey'_ and opened that file.

Then there was another that said _'Please Open'_.

Donnie opened the file, and it had a written document with the title _'Read Parasitica'_.

Donnie opened the document and it revealed to be about wasps.

Donnie scrolled down and found the part of the document that was highlighted, "Here it is. The parasitic wasp infects animals with a virus that brainwashes them into protecting its eggs."

"You think that's the kind of wasp that stung Leo?" I asked.

The sounds of Leo, Ellie and Raph trying to break the door down got louder.

"A Mutant version. Then Leo bit Raph and Ellie and passed the virus to them." Donnie explained.

"So once the egg hatches, will the guys go back to normal?" I asked.

Donnie shook his head, "Not quite. Look what happens to the caterpillar guarding the egg."

Donnie scrolled down the images and they showed the wasp hatching out of the egg, and started eating the caterpillar. The caterpillar wasn't even fighting back.

"It's eating him! It's eating him!" I shouted as fear and worry got the better of me. I looked at Donnie, "What are we gonna do?"

Donnie thought for a second, "Well, I might be able to create some kind of antibody. But first, I need a sample of the virus from the egg."

Then we heard Leo, Raph and Ellie finally breaking out of the Lab. Donnie and I tried to stay quiet, but the possessed trio found us.

"Oh, no!" Donnie grimaced.

The trio attacked us. "No, no! Stay away! Stay away!" I shouted as Donnie and I tried to keep them away, by throwing pots and pans. But it wasn't working, so Donnie and I dashed out of the kitchen and into the lounge, "Run away!"

Leo jumped to attack Donnie, but Donnie caught him and was able to hold him back. Raph and Ellie aimed to attack me.

"We have to get to the egg. It could be the only cure!" Donnie shouted to me.

Raph and Ellie tried to double-team me, but I was able to get away from them. Raph grabbed my belt and threw me to the ground. He tried to jump me, but I caught him with my nunchucks and monkey-flipped him into the water.

Ellie was able to creep up from behind me and grabbed me in a **Kannuki Jime**. I struggled to move. But luckily, Ellie was lighter than she looked, so I grabbed her arms and shoulder-threw her into the Dojo.

I noticed Donnie was rolling around with Leo. I drew out my kusarigama chain and waited for the right moment. Donnie was able to get away from Leo. I threw my chain around Leo and bound him to the ground. Donnie joined me in holding him down.

I heard sounds and looked around, "Raph?" I looked at the water and noticed there was some of the edge, indicating Raph was gone. "Ellie?" I looked at the Dojo and noticed no shadows, which meant Ellie was gone too. "Where'd they go?"

Donnie took a look in the Lab and gasped, "Holy mackerel! Raph took the egg. They're out there somewhere, waiting."

Panic got the better of me and I looked around, "You mean they could be there? Or there? Or there? Or even-" Donnie slapped me across the face. I glared at him, "Ow."

"Calm down, man. We'll barricade ourselves in my lab." Donnie assured me.

"So what about Leo?" I asked.

"Since the egg is gone, Leo is the best chance to create the antibody." Donnie explained.

That meant we had to take Leo in the Lab with us. Donnie and I tried to carry Leo into the Lab, but Leo was making things tricky, due to his weight.

"He's a lot heavier than he looks." I told Donnie. He nodded in agreement.

Once we got Leo in the Lab, Donnie and I started barricading the doors.

As we were just finishing, Leo started speaking, "Donatello? Michelangelo. What happened?"

Donnie and I looked at Leo and saw he was back to normal.

I sighed in relief, "Leo. You went crazy, dude. So did Raph and Elle. They ran off with the egg." I explained to him.

Leo sighed in relief and smiled at me, "Don't worry. I'm better now. You can untie me, Mikey. Untie me so we can go find Raph and Elle together."

I was about to untie Leo, but Donnie stopped me, "No! Don't do it, Mikey. Look at his eyes."

I looked and Donnie was right. Leo's eyes returned to their possessed state. Leo struggled to get free, then he charged in the bite us. But, Donnie and I stepped aside.

In a distorted voice, Leo spoke again, " _It is useless to resist. It is only a matter of time before the egg bursts, and the hatchling will feed on us all!_ "

Donnie slapped Leo unconscious, "Sorry to burst your possessed bubble, Leo. We may not have the egg, but a sample of your blood should help me create a cure."

Donnie inserted the syringe in Leo's sting wound. I looked over and saw that Donnie had a bite mark on his neck.

"Bite! You've been bitten! You've been bitten!" I shouted, pointing at the bite.

Donnie looked and saw the bite as well. He grimaced, "I must've been bitten during the fight. Now I'm infected too."

I lightly whimpered in worry. I'm the only Turtle left to save everyone. Talk about a weight on your shoulders.

* * *

 _ ***A little later...***_

Donnie was still working on the antibody. He was starting to panic, as the bite was starting to effect him.

He was almost done, before he started whimpering, "I'm not gonna make it. I'm not gonna make it!"

"Don't stress, dude, you're almost done." I told him.

Donnie looked at me, "Mikey, you gotta help me. If I turn, you're gonna have to knock me out so you can finish the antibody yourself."

Wait. Me? Finish the antibody? I'm not good with that kind of stuff! "But, Donnie-"

"Just promise me! It's up to you." Donnie told me.

I thought for a second, then I nodded, "Okay, okay, so what do I do? I'm not exactly the most science-y type of guy, in case you didn't know."

"First, the hybridoma culture has to incubate for ten minutes. And then it has to spin in the centrifuge for another five." Donnie explained to me, then he started clutching his head in pain, "There's not enough time. I'm not- I'm not feeling so well."

I guessed that Donnie ran out of time, and I had to knock him out. I swung my nunchuck at his head, but Donnie caught the nunchuck. His eyes, now like Leo's. He grabbed my arm and bit me. I swung my other nunchuck and knocked him out.

I looked at my arm and yelped, "I'm doomed!" But, I didn't have time to panic, "How am I gonna do this? Gotta remember what Donnie said. Gotta remember." Then I started feeling a little light-headed. No pun intended, "Feel kinda-"

Then I collapsed on the ground, as my vision went black.

* * *

 _ ***Later, in the Lounge...***_

 **Possessed Eleanor's POV.**

 _Raphael and I waited outside of the Lab, keeping the egg safe from Donatello and Michelangelo. The Lab doors opened to reveal Leonardo was untied and Donatello was one of us now._

 _I smiled, "Leonardo. Donatello, glad you could join us." Donatello smiled back._

 _"What about Michelangelo?" Raphael asked._

 _"He is no longer a threat to the egg." Donatello answered._

 _With that assured, Raphael jumped down and place the egg in the center of the sitting area. Raphael, Leonardo, Donatello and I circled around the egg._

 _We heard footsteps coming from the Lab again. We looked and saw it was Michelangelo._

 _"Michelangelo, you have come to join us." Leo said with a smiled._

 _"_ Yes, I finally understand what is so awesome about this egg. _" Michelangelo answered in a deadpan tone._

 _Then, we heard chirping, and the egg started moving. It was hatching._

 _"Here it comes." Raphael alerted us._

 _Leoanardo, Donatello and I turned to the egg and dropped our weapons._

 _"It is glorious." Leonardo said in awe._

 _We readied ourselves for the egg to hatch and the offspring to feast on us. Suddenly, I felt a pinch in my neck, and the feeling of obeying the egg was disappearing._

 _We turned to Michelangelo, who was holding a syringe-gun._

 _"What have you done?" Raphael asked._

 _"_ Pulled your bacon out the fryin' pan, bro! _" Michelangelo answered with a smile. He didn't turn?!_

 _I looked at Donatello, "Donatello, you said Michelangelo was safe."_

 _"You said you turned him." Raphael added._

 _"I did." Donatello answered._

 _"_ Did you, Donnie? Did you really? _" Michelangelo asked, then recollected his thoughts,_ _"_ You did, but after you bit me, I was totally wiggin'. I almost passed out, like, 19 times, bro. But I stayed with it long enough, hurtin' my brain to remember everything you said. _"_

 _He explained how he was able to create the antibody, and completed it without any accidents._ Mikey, that's incredible. Hey! I'm feeling like myself again. Awesome!

"You finished the antibody yourself?" Donnie asked.

"And you were just pretending to be one of us?" Leo concluded.

"Yup." Mikey answered.

"But that's smart." Raph pointed out.

Mikey smiled, "Yeah, it is. Just call me 'Dr. Einstein-enstein'."

Suddenly, I wasn't feeling so hyped up anymore. The boys groaned as well. I felt like I needed 8 more hours of sleep.

"Oh, I forgot to mention it may cause drowsiness." Mikey informed us.

"Should've told us that... Beforehand, Mikey..." I managed to say, before the boys and I collapsed on the ground and fell asleep.

* * *

 **Michelangelo's POV.**

Ellie and my brothers fell the ground and dozed off to sleep. I noticed the egg and it started hatching. The egg burst into four hatchling wasps.

"What? Four wasps?" I exclaimed in shock. I tried to get Ellie and my brothers to wake up, but they weren't budging, "Guys! Get up! Get up! Get up! Get up!"

The wasps almost attacked me, but I jumped out of the way, and they turned their attention to eating Ellie, Leo, Donnie and Raph. I won't let that happen!

I grabbed my skateboard and swatted the wasps away from my family, "No! Bad wasps! Get away from them!"

The wasps got angry and turned their attention to me. Uh-oh. I made a run for the Shell-Raiser, and hid inside. A wasp was able to get its head between the doors, but I kicked it out. The wasps began jabbing their stinger through the doors, but I cleared the area. I'm not getting brainwashed for the second time.

I hoped into Leo's station and tried starting the Shell-Raiser, but it wasn't bothering to start. "Come on, seriously?" I muttered, as the wasps started trying to flip the Shell-Raiser over.

Then I heard Raph's call out, "Hey, wasps! Come and get it!"

* * *

 **Eleanor's POV.**

Leo, Donnie, Raph and I woke up from the drowsiness of the antibody, and noticed Mikey was in a pickle. We picked up our weapons and ran to the rescue.

"Hey, wasps! Come and get it!" Raph called.

The wasps turned their attention to us and started attacking. Each of us took a wasp and began trying to fight back. However, we weren't having much luck. The wasps were quicker and we lost half our weapons. The wasps had us cornered, back-to-back against each other.

"Looks like we're gonna be wasp food after all." Leo said, as we all prepared for the wasps' finishing blow.

Suddenly, one of the wasps exploded into bug-gunk. The boys and I looked and saw Mikey firing the cannon at the other wasps. The wasps exploded on impact, and bug-gunk covered Leo, Donnie, Raph and myself.

Mikey exit the Shell-Raiser with a smile, "Saved your lives again, dudes. I am on a roll today."

* * *

 _ ***A little later...***_

Leo and Raph were just finished mopping up the mess, while Donnie and I were fixing the Shell-Raiser. I got say, it's good to be back to normal.

"I can't believe Mikey actually came through." Raph spoke up.

"I can't believe he fired the Shell-Raiser cannon inside the Lair." Leo added.

"I told you, you should let me shoot it more often." Mikey said. He finished his slice of pizza, burped, the reached out his hand to Donnie, "Pizza me."

Donnie lifted his welding goggles and gave Mikey a look, "No, I'm not gonna 'pizza you'." He lowered his goggles and returned to fixing the door.

"I guess you're right. It's not like I did something incredibly brave and saved your life." Mikey teased, slurping on his soda.

"Don't be that guy." I told Mikey, as I took care of the damage on the roof.

"You did save our lives." Leo said, then he added in an angry tone, "But, you also used my favorite comic book as toilet paper."

I lifted my own pair of welding goggles and stared at Mikey, "Wait. You what?!"

Mikey sheepishly smiled and slowly stepped away from Leo, "Yeah, but I only did it so you'd chase me."

"Well, it worked!" Leo exploded, and started chasing after Mikey.

Mikey started running, "Wait, stop!"

I could help but touch my lips in wonder. Leo kissed me, although he bit my tongue, so I could get infected by the wasp's venom. But... Was that kiss really Leo, or just that?

Then Leo was able to trip Mikey on to the ground and started beating him down with a mop. All Mikey can do was cry and yelp.

"I'm a hero!"


	24. Operation: BreakOut

Operation: Break Out.

 **Eleanor's POV.**

Heya again, veiwers. Don't you guys have a good sense of timing, or what? Hehehe. You caught me and the boys at a good time. Uncle Splinter has us going through a sparing excericise. April is joining us as well. We went in pairs. Mikey faced Leo, Leo won. April went up against me, I let April win to help build her confidence, and for Donnie. And now, Donnie is sparing against Raph.

"Don't worry, Donnie. I'm in a good mood today. I'll go easy on you." Raph told Donnie with a smile.

"Don't do me any favors, Raph." Donnie shot back, then he looked at April, who smiled at him. Then Donnie recollected himself, "Um, in fact, maybe you'll be the one who gets... Gone easy on... By me. So yeah."

"Worst smack talk ever." Mikey whispered over to Leo and I. Leo smiled, while I supressed a giggle.

" **始め** (Hajime/Start)!" Uncle Splinter instructed.

Donnie and Raph battled, and Donnie was doing well. He used his agility to his advantage and knocked Raph on to his shell.

"Hey! I got him!" Donnie gasped in astonishment. He looked at April and smiled, "April, did you see?"

April only smiled at Donnie. Raph took this opportunity and tripped Donnie on to his shell. Donnie rolled out of the way of Raph stepping on his chest. Then Raph used his sais to grab Donnie's wrists and twisted it into a reversed armlock, and made him look like he was waving.

"Say hi to Mikey." Raph told Donnie. He made Donnie wave and said in a high-pitched voice, "'Hi, Mikey'!"

Mikey smiled and laughed, "Donnie, ha ha! Amazing!" He looked at Leo and I, "I didn't even see his lips move. He's like a puppet who can throw his voice to himself." Then he went into thought about what he just said, "Wait..."

I patted Mikey's shoulder, "Close enough."

" **止め** (Yame/Stop)!" Uncle Splinter shouted, then told Raph, "Raphael, that is enough."

Raph threw Donnie on to his shell and sat on him. He smiled, "Thanks for going easy on me."

Then, he stood up and the excercise was over. Uncle Splinter returned to his room, to meditate, whilst the rest of us did our own thing. I helped Donnie back to his feet and left the Dojo.

Donnie caught up to Raph, on the the stairs and asked him, "What the heck was that?"

"What? Just having fun." Raph explained with a smile, then he acted like a puppeteer, "You know how much Mikey loves the Donnie puppet."

"Dude! April was watching." Donnie pointed, gesturing to April, who was on her laptop, checking e-mails.

"Pretty sure she liked it..." Raph was about to argue, but saw the look on Donnie's face, "Too."

I looked and noticed the look on Donnie's face. My heart sank by the sight of it. I know that look. It's the same look Timothy gave me when I turned him down, when he asked me on a date, during Summer Vacation. I still feel bad about it, but I had to turn him down. Shredder wouldn't have approved.

"Wait, you still think you have a shot with her?" Raph asked Donnie, snapping me out of my memories.

Donnie sweatdropped, and rubbed the back of his head, "Well I mean, I-"

"Wow! That is so adorable!" Raph smiled, then frowned, "And sad. It's 'sad-orable'. If you want to impress April, better leave me out of it."

With that said, Raph walked off, leaving Donnie in a small sulk. Donnie looked at me, and noticed I heard their conversation. I gave him an assuring smile. Donnie slightly smiled back, and joined in the Lounge.

April opened her e-mail and a media player started playing a loud, electronica-like music and sounds. The boys and I heard it. As I listened, I swore I heard a familiar voice speaking. But the sounds and music made it hard to narrow who it was.

"Not bad! Needs more drums!" Mikey shouted over the sounds.

The sound clip was finished and the media player closed.

"What was that?" Leo asked.

"I don't know. Some random e-mail I got. It just started playing by itself." April answered.

"Sounds like some sort of telemetric sine wave sub carrier." Donnie identified.

April and his brothers just stared at him with blank looks.

"Uh, dumb that down a notch?" Leo requested.

"It's an interference modulation used to encrypt covert transmi-" Donnie was about to explain, but Mikey put his finger over Donnie's mouth, to quiet him.

"Not enough notches." Mikey told him.

I removed Mikey's finger and translated, "A secret message, guys!"

"Who would be sending me a secret message?" April asked in wonder.

I went into thought. If what I heard from the sounds and music was a voice speaking, then whoever sent it must've used a type of scrambler software.

* * *

 _ ***Later, that night...***_

 **Donatello's POV.**

Everyone fell asleep, after watching a marathon of action movies. Ellie spent most of her time in her room. The secret message must've gotten to her, since she has better hearing than the rest of us. She told me she heard a voice speaking in the sounds, so I borrowed April's laptop and began deciphering the secret message.

I was able to find that the sender used a basic DVB scramble algorithm, which is able to scramble words into forms of sounds and music. So, by flopping ECM datastream, it should be able to return the words to their right pitch and tempo.

As I got the pitch adjusted, a familiar voice spoke, "April, it's Dad."

I gasped, "Mr. O'Neil!"

Ellie was right. She heard Mr. O'Neil's voice.

"I pray you get this message." Mr. O'Neil continued, as a map appeared next to the media player, "I've been moved to a secret Kraang facility. Send help, April. If you can, send help."

I gasped and stood up, "Oh, man." Then I called, "Guys? Listen to-" Then I thought about what Raph said. If he and the others want nothing to do with this, then fine by me.

I downloaded the map on to my T-Phone, grabbed my gear and made my way out. As I reached the toll gates, I heard a voice whisper behind me, "You going somewhere, Donatello?"

I yelped in startle, turned and attacked the figure behind me. The figure grabbed my staff. I opened my eyes and the figure revealed to be Ellie. I sighed in releif and whispered, "Ellie, don't scare me like that."

Ellie sheepishly smiled and let go of my staff, "Sorry." Then she asked with a raised eyebrow, "Where are you going?"

"I've deciphered the secret message." I answered, withdrawing my weapon, "It was from April's dad."

Her eyes widen in shock, "Kirby?" She thought for a second, then told me, 'Then, I'm coming with you."

My eyes widen, "What?" I shook my head and waved my hands, "No way, Ellie. It'll be too dangerous."

"I know the city like the back of my hand. You guys are just starting to get use to the ropes." She argued, then she pointed out, "Besides, Mr. O'Neil is my responsibility too, Donatello." She started jabbing her finger into my chest, "Don't you forget it!"

I went in thought. Ellie is right about one thing; my brothers and I are still getting used to knowing the streets of New York. And, of course, two heads are better than one. I looked at Ellie and nodded in agreement. Ellie smiled, and we left the Lair.

"We'll see who's 'sad-orable'." I commented. Ellie lightly giggled.

* * *

 _ ***The next morning...***_

Ellie and I exit the sewers and made our way to the rooftops. I got out my T-Phone and looked at the map. I looked Ellie and showed her, "You know where this is?"

Ellie looked at the map and smiled, "Yeah. Ziga's Autobody. Follow me."

And just like that, she started jumping and running across rooftops. I quickly followed after her.

* * *

 **Eleanor's POV.**

I lead Donnie to Ziga's Autobody. As we ran and jumped across rooftops, I noticed Donnie had a sad look on his face, and his eyes were deep in thought.

"Pennies for your thoughts?" I asked.

Donnie looked at me, "What?"

"Means 'what's on your mind'." I translated.

Donnie looked away and sighed. "It's just what Raph said. He doesn't think I have a shot with April."

I nodded, "I figured as much. But not all your brothers think the same way."

Donnie shook his head, "I think they do. To be honest, I don't blame them for thinking I don't. I mean, look at me. I'm a Mutant turtle freak. She's... Well... Normal. It'll never work out."

"Don't think like that. I think you do have a shot with her." I told him.

He looked at me with shocked eyes, "You do?"

I nodded with a genuine smile, "No doubt. If my father was able to fall in love with a Mutant, give her time, and so will April."

As a sign of regained confidence, Donnie smiled. We jumped on top of a water tower, just across the street from the autobody shop.

"This is the place." I told Donnie.

Donnie checked his map and commented, "Huh. Doesn't seem very Kraang-y."

I shook my head in agreement. Donnie and I quietly snuck our way to the garage entrance. The door was locked with a padlock. Donnie used his lockpick and successfully unlocked the door. We entered the garage and closed the door behind us.

Donnie and I drew out our weapons and walked around the area with caution. I started getting a headache as soon as we approached the middle of the garage. There were a lot of Kraang in this building. But, where are they?

"How many Kraang do you sense, Elle?" Donnie asked me in a whisper.

"A large group. My head is starting to hurt." I answered in the same tone.

Suddenly, a Kraang spoke from behind us, "It is one of, the ones called, the Turtles and, the one known as, Eleanor Hamato."

The Kraangdroid started firing his blaster at us. Donnie and I jumped out of the way, and Donnie was able to knocked the droid on the ground, just below the hydraulic car lift. Donnie pushed the release button and the lift landed on the Kraangdroid, crushing his lower body.

"Looks like you could use a tune-up, huh?" Donnie joked with a smile.

I couldn't help but laugh at the pun. "Good one, Don." I said with a smile.

Donnie smiled and asked in a cocky tone, "Who's the hero now?" Then laser-fire startled us, and Donnie shouted, dodging the barrage, "Ho-ly cow!" And I shouted, "Hey! Yo! Whoa!"

Donnie ducked his head in his shell on the last blast. We looked at the source and saw their were three more Kraangdroids. I hate it when I do that.

Donnie grimaced in a high-pitched voice, "No response necessary."

And we ran for cover. Donnie hid behind a car, and I hid in the upper levels. Donnie looked across from his hiding place and saw a red car on its own.

He called out to me, "Ellie, the red car at the back."

I gave him a salute, indicating I heard him. He and I made our way to the red car, taking down a few of the Kraangdroids along the way. We met up from behind the car. Donnie peeked out and saw the remaining Kraangdroids continued to fire at us. One shot at the hydraulic control panel, next to the car, and the car dragged us down to an underground detention facility. The Kraangdroids didn't bother to follow after us. I think they had other objectives. Donnie and I landed with a thud. And we recovered quickly.

Donnie stood up and looked around, "Where are we?"

I rubbed my head and looked around, "Looks like an underground prison, or detention facility. This must be where the Kraang took Kirby." Then I muttered, "Also explains the headache."

"Can you sense him?" Donnie asked.

I stood up and closed my eyes. I pictured multiple flames, in the same color, walking around the facility. Two of them were staying in different places. One was burning in a bright angry red. The other was barely burning and grey. The Kraang-pink auras were making it difficult to concentrate.

"Yeah. He's here alright. But, the Kraang are drowning his aura." I answered, opening my eyes to look at Donnie.

"Okay. There should be a control room around here, somewhere. We need to find that first." Donnie informed me. I nodded in agreement.

Donnie and I jumped toward the ceiling and snuck our way around the hallways, to find the main control room. We were able to avoid detection from the Kraagdroids, patrolling the corridors.

Once they were far enough, Donnie and I jumped down to an intersection of multiple rooms, most of them were empty cells. A Kraangdroid walked out of the door in front of us, indicating it was the room we were looking for.

Donnie looked at me and held up his T-Phone. I held up mine with a smile. He smiled back and dialed the number. I threw my T-Phone toward the Kraangdroid, as the ringtone rang. The Kraangdroid picked up the phone, then I run up him. The droid looked at me, just as soon as I zapped it offline.

I picked up my T-Phone from the droid's hand, "It's for me."

The Kraang screeched at us, and Donnie whacked it into a wall, "And that's for you."

Using the Kraangdroid's head over a retinal scanner, Donnie was able to open the door and he and I entered the room. It was a purple version of the control room of the last rescue mission, before I got mutated, with multiple monitors and doors.

We looked over the monitors and saw Kirby in one of the cells, curled into a ball, like April does.

"Mr. O'Neil!" Donnie gasped, as he saw the monitor.

I looked over to Donnie, "All yours, Don."

Donnie nodded and began typing on the control panel. The computer beeped an affirmative response, and the cell doors were open.

"Come on. Let's get Mr. O'Neil out of there." Donnie told me.

I nodded. We exit the control room, and I lead Donnie to Kirby, by following what I can sense of his aura. The flaring red aura was confusing me a bit, but I stayed on target. Every now and then, we hear a croaking-squeaky roar or growls, but nothing appears. Donnie had his staff ready, in case we bump into something.

We reached a certain door, and I pointed, "He's in here."

Donnie opened the door and quietly called, "Hello? Mr. O'Neil?"

Kirby heard Donnie and looked at us, shielding his eyes. Donnie smiled, "It's me. Donatello?"

Kirby looked at me and backed away a bit.

I gently smiled, "It's okay, Kirby. It's me."

Kirby narrowed his eyes at me, the gasped, "Eleanor? You look a little..."

I lightly shrugged, "Mutagen accident. I'm still the same crazy little girl."

Kirby stood up and smiled at Donnie, "Thank goodness you've come!"

He threw his arms around Donnie. I raised an eyebrow. Kirby never hugs a person he barely knows.

Kirby released the hug, and Donnie spoke up, "Right. Um, shall we go?"

Kirby smiled and rubbed the back of his neck, "Immediately." Then he exit the cell.

I narrowed my eyes at my friend's father. He's acting calmer than I thought he would. And his aura was barely burning and grey. Last time I looked, Kirby's aura was an amber and had a tendency to flare out of control. That doesn't add up. And that tone in his voice.

Donnie followed Kirby through the hallway.

"I thought that you might be able to decipher my message." Kirby said to Donnie.

"Well, it wasn't so bad." Donnie assured with a shrug.

"You used a basic DVB scramble algorithm." I started.

Donnie continued, "So I just-"

Then Kirby, Donnie and I finished with a smile, "Flopped the ECM datastream."

We heard something moved from behind us. We turned, but nothing was there. I felt the angry aura coming from around us, so I drew out my eskrima sticks.

Kirby noticed something and asked, "Donatello, why are all the other cells open?"

"I must have opened them when I let you out. But, they were all empty." Donnie answered.

We heard the movement again, and another roar accompanied it.

"I'm not so sure about that." Kirby voiced his thoughts.

The movement come from right behind us this time. We turned again, and heard the roar. Donnie got ready to draw out his staff.

"Okay, don't worry. Whatever this is, I'm sure I can handle-" He assured, but was cut off by something appearing from right behind us.

Donnie, Kirby and I yelped in startle and fell to the ground. We quickly got back to our feet and turned. What appeared, was a 7 to 8 foot tall, anthropomorphic, armored black newt with yellow eyes and a fire-toned underbelly. The newt was the source of the angry aura. It looked at us and roared.

"On second thought, sir, you might want to worry just a little." Donnie corrected.

The newt aimed one of its weapons at us and fired a barrage of yellow lasers. Donnie, Kirby and I found cover behind a pillar.

"What is that thing?!" Donnie asked.

"You must've accidentally released one of the Kraang's alien experiments." Kirby answered.

"I don't think he's a Kraang experiment." I pointed out, shaking my head.

Kirby and Donnie looked at me, "Why?"

"He has an individual aura, and he's mega-mad at the Kraang." I explained.

Once the barrage had an opening, Kirby, Donnie and I ran down the hallway, dodging the incoming barrage of laser-fire.

"It looks like some family of _Salamandridae_ , if I'm not mistaken." Donnie summarized.

"With that proboscis?" Kirby asked, then identified, "It's clearly a _Pleurodelinae_. A newt."

"A _Cynops Pyrrhogaster_ to be precise." I explained.

Kirby looked at me, "A what-now?"

"A Japanese Fire Belly Newt." I translated.

The newt threw a disk at us, but it missed and hit the wall, when we reached the end of the hallway. We looked back at the newt and it pressed a button.

Donnie tackled Kirby to ground, while I dove to the ground, as the disk exploded and caused to wall to crumble a bit. That goodness it was underground, otherwise we would've been in trouble.

"'Newtralizer' is more like it." Donnie said, naming the newt.

He helped Kirby back to his feet, and we continued our way to the exit. Donnie tapped Kirby's shoulder and smiled, "By the way, prefer if you don't tell Mikey I named something without him. He's kind of protective about that."

Kirby and I nodded in understanding. Unfortunately, our little walk was cut short, as Newtralizer noticed we were still alive, and now the Kraang know we're here. Kirby, Donnie and I ran through a number of corridors, taking down as many of the Kraangdroids and avoiding Newtralizer's attacks. I noticed that Newtralizer was also attacking the Kraangdroids that we missed.

Kirby, Donnie and I ran down another hallway, but we were stopped by three Kraangdroids. Donnie and I had no time to waste beating them down.

"Other way!" Donnie told us.

We turned and Newtralizer was right behind us. Terrific...

"Okay. Maybe the solo mission wasn't such a good idea." Donnie second-guessed.

The Kraangdroids and Newtralizer warmed up their weapons, and aimed them at us.

I grabbed Donnie and Kirby's hands and lead us into the nearest cell, "Come on!"

We enter the cell, and closed the door behind me, locking it. Donnie and I sighed in relief.

"You are aware this is a detention facility." Kirby spoke up. I looked at Kirby with a raised eyebrow. "You just locked us in a cell." He pointed out.

I sighed and face-palmed, "Affirmative. I pulled a 'Mikey'." Obviously, I did not think this idea through. Donnie and Kirby looked at me. "A 'Mikey' is when you do something stupid enough, that it can mistaken for Michelangelo's actions." I explained.

Donnie nodded in understanding, then went into thought, "Um, I think I can get us out." He looked at the door, and Newtralizer startled us. Donnie screamed, then added, "Eventually!"

Donnie started looking at the systems of the locks. These locks were very different to the last ones.

"While Donatello is taking care of the lock..." Kirby started, then he looked at me, "What are you supposed to be, Eleanor? You're obviously not a newt or salamander. You're green and have scales."

I went into thought and looked at my hands. I know I'm some type of lizard, but I can't identify what. I thought back for a moment. My connection with Leatherhead. My interactions with my pet lizard, Mulan. Then my mother came to mind. She was a Mutant Lizard with green scales. I must've inherited that from her.

"I think I picked up the genes from my mother, so the Mutagen must've reacted to that. So, I'm a _Gerrhonotus Infernalis_ , or Texas Alligator Lizard." I answered.

"Wait. Your mother, Leiko Hamato, was a Mutant?" Kirby asked is surprise.

I nodded my head. I'm not surprised why Kirby is so surprised. It sort of explains why my mother never left home without a hood and a mask. She always said she suffered burns from a fire, and everyone just bought it. Heck, even Sam and I bought for a while, until my empathy manifested.

Donnie spoke up, breaking the silence, "Okay, if I jump the resistors-" He was cut off by the door exploding into dust and debris, "The door should open."

The dust and smoke cleared to show that Leo, Raph and Mikey had joined the mission.

Raph looked in the cell and saw us, "Donnie! Ellie!"

Leo looked and gasped, as we walked out, "Mr. O'Neil."

"Big, beady-eyed, lizard-y thing with weapons!" Mikey cried, as we looked over and saw the Newtralizer was looking at us.

"Secret relative of yours, Elle?" Leo asked.

I shook my head, as we slowly backed away from Newtralizer.

"Donatello calls it the Newtralizer." Kirby explained to Leo, Raph and Mikey.

Mikey looked at Donnie, "You named something without me?"

Then Newtralizer started firing its lasers at us.

"Not a good time, Mikey." I shouted, as we ran from the laser-fire.

The boys, Kirby and I ran away from Newtralizer, dodging his laser-fire. We ran into the main control room and locked the door behind us. Newtralizer tried to pry the door open, but no luck. Thank goodness for that. Donnie looked at Mikey. Mikey glared at Donnie in anger and disappointment.

"You named something without me?" Mikey repeated his question.

"We gotta get out of this prison." Leo told us, as Newtralizer kept banging on the door.

"Technically, this is a detention center." Kirby corrected, then explained, "The difference being that-"

Raph cut Kirby off, "Not now, Donnie-" He looked and noticed it was Kirby talking, then he apologised, "Oh sorry, Mr. O'Neil." Then he looked at Leo, "Great. Now there's three of them."

I folded my arms at Raph. Yeah, I'm smart, but I like to hide it. To make others around me feel better about themselves. Also I don't like sounding like my IQ. Thank you very much, Raphael.

Our little break was cut short, and the other doors opened to reveal Kraangdroids, ready for a fight. The boys and I drew our weapons and began taking down the Kraang. However, the numbers were too much, and the room was a bit too small to move around.

"Little help!" Mikey shouted.

An idea hit me, as I ran to the control panel and started typing, "How about some big help?"

"Not really the time to check your e-mail." Leo told me.

"I'm guessing if they had the Newtralizer locked up, it wasn't because he was their friend." I explained, as I entered the last code and slammed my hand on to the panel.

The locked door opened, and Newtralizer ripped off a head of a Kraangdroid. He roared and looked around, seeing the other Kraangdroids.

"Apparently, he likes trashing Kraang." Raph noted.

Mikey smiled, "Who doesn't?"

The boys and I ducked for cover, as the Kraang and Newtralizer shot lasers at each other. Newtralizer was able to take down each of the Kraang with a one-shot hit.

The boys and I jumped out from the panel and cheered, "Yeah!" Then Newtralizer aimed a missile-launcher at us. We frowned, "No!"

Newtralizer fired the weapon. The boys and I jumped out of the way, and the missiles blasted the door open. The boys and I ran out of the door, and made our way to the exit. Luckily, the red car was present. The boys, Kirby and I jumped on to the platform and car, while Donnie tried to make the control panel work. But the previous Kraangdroid's laser-fire messed up the controls badly.

"We've gotta access the control panel." Donnie informed us, trying to get the panel to work.

"Got it!" Raph said, as he drew out one of his sais and raised it to attack the panel.

Donnie grabbed his wrist and assured with a smile, "Raph, I got it."

Raph raised an eyebrow, "Oh, really?"

Donnie nodded, "Really."

He took the sai and jabbed it into the control panel. The panel sparked in response, and the lift threw us into the garage. The car flew off the lift as well, and nearly crushed Donnie and Kibry. Luckily, Donnie rolled Kirby out of the way, before the car landed on top of them.

"Close one, huh?" Donnie asked Kirby, who smiled in reply.

However, Newtralizer wasn't done with us yet, as he somehow found his way to us. The boys and I grouped up to protect Kirby.

"Let's split up." Leo told us, then he looked at Donnie, "Donnie, you get Mr. O'Neil out of here."

And, like that, we went into battle with Newtralizer. Newtralizer threw bladed disks at us, but we split up and the disks hit the tires. I went in first. I jumped on to Newtralizer and delivered a few hits, then he threw me on to the ceiling lights. A stray tire hit his head, and that made him angry. He tried to attack me, but I jumped out of the way.

Then Newtralizer turned his attention on Donnie and Kirby. Donnie and Kirby tried to hide behind the cars on the second level, but Newtralizer found his way to them. Donnie threw a smoke bomb at his face and helped Kirby escape from the cars.

Mikey turned Newtralizer's attention to himself. Mikey lead Newtralizer to the top level of the cars, where Leo and Raph waited. Raph and Leo were able to land a few hits on Newtralizer, but Newtralizer got angrier and threw Leo and Raph off the third level, and on to the ground. Newtralizer stood above them and warmed up his weapon, to deliver the finishing blow.

However, Mikey started the van and drove it directly above Newtralizer, "Booyakasha!"

The van landed on Newtralizer, crushing him. And it flipped upside-down. Leo, Raph and I looked at each other, realizing Mikey was still in the van, "Mikey!"

Mikey crawled out of the van with a smile, "Don't worry. I wore my seatbelt."

I sighed in relief, while Raph chuckled and helped Mikey to his feet, "Come on."

The boys, Kirby and I left the garage, and made our way back to the Lair. We entered the Lair through the toll gates. April and Uncle Splinter were in the Lounge, looking over a strange, white orb.

"April?" Kirby called, getting April and Splinter's attention.

April looked and saw us arrive with Kirby. April gasped, "Dad?" Then she ran to throw her arms around him, "Dad!" She released the hug and wiped a tear from her eyes, "Dad, I can't believe it!" Then April looked at the boys and I, "You guys saved my dad! Thank you so much."

The boys and I smiled, until Raph opened his mouth and said, "The guy you really should be thanking is Donnie."

Donnie stuttered a bit, "Well, I-"

But, Raph cut him off, "Seriously! You should've seen him. He was-" Then Raph started making kung-fu noises and doing a silly dance, trying to make Donnie look good, but he made him look like a fool.

Donnie tried to stop him, by placing his hand on his shell, "Raph, I think that's a little-"

But, again, Raph cut him off, putting him in a headlock, "We kept saying, 'Careful, Donnie, it's too dangerous'. And Donnie was like, 'Danger? Ha! Nothing'll stop me'."

This time, I stopped him by placing my hand over his mouth, "Thank you! Thank you, Raphael."

Raph got the message and walked off. Donnie gave me a thankful smile, then returned to April, rubbing the back of his head, "Those weren't my exact words, but-"

This time, April cut Donnie off by hugging him. She released the hug and smiled, "Thank you, Donnie."

Then she returned to her father. Donnie giggled goofily and collapsed on the ground, with love-struck eyes. The boys and I looked over him.

"Well, I tried." Raph shrugged.

"Dude, I'd say you succeeded." Mikey said with a smiled.

I gave Donnie a thumbs-up. And he did the same with me and his brothers. Then I looked at April and Kirby, as they walked into the Dojo. Kirby's aura was still grey and dull. Something about his aura made me feel uncomfortable and unsettled.

But, what could be wrong? I guess time will tell.


	25. ShowDown Prt 1

Showdown Prt 1.

 **Eleanor's POV.**

It's been quiet since the day Donnie and I saved Kirby from the Kraang Facility. So quiet that it makes me feel uneasy. Thanks to April, we found out that the white orb, that she found, was a Kraang communication orb. Basically used to transfer communication from Dimension X and Earth. Sort of like an interdimensional telephone.

The orb started blinking with Kraang-pink spots and Donnie's computer started uploading files of documents and images.

"Holy Toledo!" Donnie gasped, as he noticed the orb responding.

I looked at the computer and began looking at the files. Donnie noticed and looked at the files, from over my shoulder.

"What's with the alarm?" April asked, as she noticed.

"The Kraang Communication Orb's going haywire." Donnie answered.

"Which means those little brain-blobs are up to something big." I added, typing some codes, that can translate interdimensional languages.

April looked over and saw the written documents, "What is this? Alien language?" She asked.

"Kraang's native dialect by the looks of it." I answered.

"Can you decode this stuff?" She asked me.

"I guess we're about to find out." Donnie answered.

"Translating now." I said, hitting the 'enter' key.

The Kraang language was highlighted and translated to the closest English it can match. April gasped at what we found out about the documents, while Donnie and I widen our eyes. This is really bad news. The others have to know about this.

Donnie looked at me, "We've gotta tell the others."

I nodded and exit the Lab, to see Raph, Mikey and Leo doing their own thing. Mikey was playing on the arcade game. Raph was reading one of his comic books. And Leo was watching the last episode of Space Heroes.

Leo smiled in awe, as Captain Ryan decided to let his crew leave the ship without him, "What a hero."

I grabbed the remote and switched off the tv. Leo looked at me, "What are you doing? That's the final episode of Space Heroes!"

"I'm sorry, Leo. But, we've got something a little more important." I told him.

Raph closed his comic book and looked at me. Mikey turned his attention to me, as he walked away from the arcade game. I lead the boys to the Lab, as Donnie was typing in more codes.

"So, what is it that we need to know so bad?" Raph asked.

"April, Ellie and I have been sifting through all this Kraang chatter. And, well, listen to what we translated." Donnie explained.

He hit the 'enter' key and the Kraang Communication Orb responded. I sensed an aura flare up, but I ignored it.

A Kraang's voice spoke from the Communication Orb, "The final phase of the plan, known as Kraang's invasion, shall commence in the unit of time that is six hours. The Technodrome shall arrive from Dimension X through the portal."

"Are you sure this is the translated version?" Mikey asked.

The boys and I sighed and face-palmed in slight annoyance.

"They said in six hours, something called the Technodrome is coming through that portal." I translated.

"This is the final phase of the Kraang invasion." Donnie finished.

"Wait. But I thought April was the key to the Kraang plot. And they don't have her." Leo pointed out, gesturing to April.

"I guess someone didn't want to wait anymore." I answered with narrow eyes and folded arms.

"If that Technodrome comes through that portal, well, it sounds like the end of the world." Donnie summarized.

Mikey lightly whimpered, as Raph asked, "So what do we do?"

"Guys." Leo called, catching our attention, "We've gotta find a way to shut that portal down. It's up to us."

"To save the world?" Mikey asked.

"Leonardo is right." Uncle Splinter spoke up, coming from behind us, "When you first went up to the surface, I feared you were not ready. But I have come to realize that you are not only ready to become heroes, it was your destiny. And if the fate of the world must rest in somebody's hands, I am grateful it is yours."

The boys and I bowed to Master Splinter. And we dashed off to prepare for the biggest battle of our life.

Leo was the last to leave, but Uncle Splinter spoke to him, "Leonardo, a moment, please."

Leo turned and looked at Uncle Splinter. I noticed this and waited at the doors.

"With the world at stake, the only thing of importance Is that you complete your mission." Splinter told his eldest son.

Leo nodded, "Yes, Sensei."

"No matter what you have to sacrifice, or who." Splinter finished.

That made my heart sink a bit. Leo looked away in thought, for a second, then he looked back at Splinter and nodded in understanding. With that, Uncle Splinter made his way to the Dojo.

The boys and I prepared for the plan to finally take down TCRI and the portal to Dimension X. Raph was grabbing his arsenal of weapons. Donnie, Leo and I were going through the ideas. Mikey... was being Mikey. Once we went through the ideas, Donnie and I started building a few contraptions and weapons, that will be able to help with the upcoming battle. Leo went through the plan with Raph and Mikey. Then, we were ready to face the Kraang.

We all met up just outside of the Shell-Raiser. April and Uncle Splinter wanted to see us off. April gave Donnie a good-luck hug, and Uncle Splinter bowed his head.

Leo looked at his brothers and I, "Gentlemen, let's save the world."

With that, the boys and I entered the Shell-Raiser and drove toward the surface.

* * *

 **April O'Neil's POV.**

Master Splinter and I watched the Turtles and Ellie drive off in their armored subway car. I thought came to me, as I looked at Splinter.

"Um, Sensei, do you mind if I ask you a question?" I asked.

"Of course not." Splinter answered.

"Why aren't you going with them?" I asked my question.

"Why do you ask?" Splinter asked me.

"The Turtles and Ellie are out there risking their lives. Don't you think they could use your help?" I explained.

"I am their teacher. My role is to prepare them for the challenges they face." He replied.

I shook my head, "But, Sensei, you said yourself that this time the fate of the world is-"

Master Splinter shouted, " **黙れ** (Damare/Silence)! I do not have to explain myself to a child!"

With that said, he walked off. He stopped at the stairs, for a second, then continued. How can Splinter say that? He said so himself, he's the Turtle's teacher. But, he's also their father and Eleanor's uncle. This is the biggest battle yet, and he's choosing to do nothing to help them? That's stupid and selfish!

* * *

 _ ***Meanwhile, in the Shell-Raiser...***_

 **Eleanor's POV.**

The boys and I drove the Shell-Raiser out of the subway, and into the streets of New York. Since it's gonna be a while, before we reach TCRI, Leo thought we'd go over the plan again.

"All right, guys, we're gonna keep it simple. We go to TCRI and we use the micro-fission omni-disintegrator, which Donnie calculates is powerful enough to destroy the portal with a single shot." Leo revised.

Donnie, Raph and I nodded in agreement. Then Mikey asked, "Well, then, why didn't we use it last time?"

"Because, we didn't have it last time." Donnie answered.

"You have an answer for everything, don't you, Donnie?" Mikey asked Donnie.

Donnie smiled and nodded, "Yes, I do."

Raph smiled, "Good one, Donnie."

I looked over to Leo, "Speaking of 'good one', are you sure this plan will work, Leo?"

Leo looked at me, then kept his eyes on the road, "It has to work."

* * *

 _ ***Meanwhile, back in the Lair...***_

 **April's POV.**

It's been quiet, since my talk with Splinter. I looked over the waterway and saw Splinter was meditating, or whatever he does in his spare time. I shook my head. That rat is a very complex puzzle, or he's not who I thought he would be. I walked over to the Space Heroes pinball machine, and leaned on it. In my reflection, I saw my dad approach me from behind.

"Hey, April." Dad greeted, then he looked around, "Where is everybody?"

"The Kraang are making their move. The Turtles and Ellie are on their way to TCRI." I answered.

"TCRI?" Dad asked, then he grimaced, "Oh no."

I turned to him, "What's wrong?"

"The Kraang know that the Turtles and Eleanor are coming for them." Dad answered in a serious tone.

I raised an eyebrow, "How do you know this?"

I got out my T-Phone and was about to call Donnie, to warn him, but Dad stopped me, "Don't! The Kraang have cracked the T-Phones' encryption. We've got to warn the Turtles in person."

I looked away in thought. What if the Turtles and Ellie are already at TCRI?

Dad spoke up, "I'm your father, April." He smiled and placed his hand over my shoulder, "You have to trust me."

I smiled at my dad. Of course, I trust him with my life. He smiled back, then said, "Come on."

My father and I made our way to the toll gates. Until Splinter spoke up, "April, where are you going?"

"The Turtles and Ellie are in trouble. I've gotta go warn them." I answered.

"But, you know it's dangerous for you to be on the surface." Splinter reminded me.

"Well, some of us can't just sit around and do nothing!" I told him.

With that, I left the Lair, with my dad, and made our way to TCRI. Halfway down the subway tracks, I noticed something. We weren't going to TCRI. It felt like we were going to Shredder's Lair.

"Dad, what are you doing? This isn't the way to TCRI." I asked, then informed Dad. My dad just stopped and gave me a look. I took a step back, "Dad, what's going on?"

Then, out of clouds of smoke, two Foot Ninjas appeared beside me and grabbed my arms. I tried to break free, but I still wasn't strong enough. I cried, "Help!"

Then I saw someone, I wished I never see again; Karai. She was walking toward me with a smile.

"Hey there, princess." She greeted, then asked me, "Miss me?"

"Yeah, actually. Last time I saw you, I forgot to give you this!" I answered, giving her a knee in the stomach.

Karai took a few steps back. Two little raptor-like robot things arrived at Karai's side.

She looked at Dad, "You've done well. Now take the message to Splinter."

Dad bowed his head and walked his way back to Splinter. The robots accompanied him.

"Dad? Dad? Dad! What are you doing? Dad!" I tried to call out to my father, but he walked straight past me with batting an eyelid. It was like he was... The Foot Ninjas pulled me to Karai. I looked at her with a glare, "You brainwashed him!"

Karai just smiled, "I know. Pretty cool, right?"

And, just like that, the Shedder had captured me. Master Splinter was right. I should've stayed in the Lair. I'm such an idiot!

* * *

 _ ***A little later, in the streets of New York...***_

 **Eleanor's POV.**

The boys and I set our plan into motion. Donnie put the Shell-Raiser on auto-pilot, with Metalhead inside. The Shell-Raiser made its way into TCRI and Metalhead took care of the Kraangdroids that were inside. Metalhead was controlled by Donnie, via headset.

"Booyakasha! Meet Metalhead! I see you!" Donnie shouted, as Metalhead took out the first barrage of Kraangdroids and Ms. Campbell.

Where were we in all this? Glad you asked. The boys and I were on our way to TCRI, via the air. Donnie and I created a pair of wings for everyone, so we could infiltrate TCRI from the roof. I gotta say, flying feels wonderful and exhilarating.

"Nice work, Donnie." Raph shouted to Donnie. Donnie replied with a smile and a 'rock on' hand sign.

"You know what it's time for? The world's first-ever midair high three!" Mikey shouted with a smile.

The boys and I gathered and performed a high three, "Yeah!"

Then we returned to the task at hand. Mikey was having too much fun, "This is awesome! Turtles were born to fly!"

"All right, guys, let's do this." Leo told us, as we approached the Kraang's base.

We landed on the highest part of the roof, and Raph noticed a security camera on the corner. There were a group of pigeons resting just in front of us. Raph grabbed one and placed it in front of the camera. Leo, Mikey, Donnie and I walked by undetected, and Raph placed the pigeon back on its resting place. Sweet Raph. As we progressed, Leo noticed two Kraangdroids on patrol. Raph caught up to us.

"It is quiet. Precisely the correct amount of quiet." One of the Kraangdroids spoke up.

Mikey jumped ahead and called, "Hey, Kraang." Then he started acting like an idiot. He lost his balance and fell off the edge.

Good thing this was all planned out. Mikey caught himself with his shuko hand claws. The Kraangdroids looked over to see him. He pointed toward me. I drew out my eskrima staff, and whacked the droids off the edge. They fell on to the street below them.

Leo and I helped Mikey up and Donnie fired another new contraption to our arsenal; The Grappling Hook Gun. He fired his toward to other side of the building and the grappling hook connected. The boys and I zip-lined over the Kraang's base of operations, were the portal was, and made our way down to it.

* * *

 _ ***Meanwhile, back in the Lair...***_

 **Master Splinter's POV.**

I was in the Dojo, meditating under the great tree. In my mind, I was thinking through was April has said to me. I know I shouldn't have been hard on the girl. But, my feelings are none of her concern.

In truth, I am worried for my sons and my niece. This is the biggest battle of their lives. But, I am confident that they will return home successful. But, the confidence is faded every minute. And now, I am afraid to do anything, but wait.

" _ **The Turtles and Ellie are out there risking their lives. Don't you think they could use your help?**_ " April's voice spoke from within my mind. She does have a point, but what can I do?

" _ **You reacting on your own fear is only gonna make things worse.**_ " Eleanor's voice spoke. She, too, has a good point. Just like before, I am letting fear and worry cloud my judgement again.

" _ **Some of us can't just sit around and do nothing.**_ " April said again.

Then Eleanor's voice spoke up, " _ **Be a father and protect them.**_ "

The more I think on those words, the more I realise that April and Eleanor are right. I can not just sit here and do nothing. I have to help my sons and my niece. My thoughts were broken, as I heard a steady heartbeat and robotic chirping approaching me.

I stood up and aimed my cane at whoever it was approaching me, "Stop!" I noticed it was April's father, Kirby O'Neil. But, something was off about him. "Where is April?" I asked.

"Master Shredder wanted you to have this message." Kirby answered in a deadpan tone.

I raised an eyebrow, "'Master Shredder'?" Two raptor-like mini-robots approached me. I took a step back, " **何** (Nani/What)?"

The robots activated a hologram of Oroku Saki in front of me. "So, Hamato Yoshi. You thought you could hide from me forever. I have April O'Neil. And if you value her life, you will come and face me like a man. We will finish what we started all those years ago." The message informed me.

With that, the hologram disappeared, and Kirby and the robots walked out of the Dojo. Oroku Saki has April in his clutches, and Kirby brainwashed as his puppet. He has gone too far. I feel to my knees and took a few deep breaths, to calm my anger. Shredder wants to face me like a man, so be it!

* * *

 _ ***Meanwhile, inside TCRI...***_

 **Eleanor's POV.**

The boys and I were able to sneak into the main base. The Kraang were already making preparations for the portal to open and summon the Technodrome. Some of the Kraang were already guarding the machine.

"We gotta take out that portal." Donnie whispered.

Raph looked over and saw the rock giant, that we faced before. I believe Leatherhead called it a 'Traag'.

"I forgot about him." Raph said as he noticed it.

"Don't worry. We'll be gone before that Traag even knows we're here." I assured.

Leo aimed the disintegrator for the center of the portal, and made sure he had a clean shot, "Okay, guys, this all ends in three, two, one."

Leo fired the disintegrator and got a clean shot, but the shot was blocked by the invisible force-field that prevented the destruction last time. Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, shame on you!

"What? There's a force-field?" Leo exclaimed, then looked at me, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Obviously, because I wanted us to fail." I answered in a fake amused tone. Then I shouted in frustration, "You never asked, knuckle-head!"

Upon hearing the disintegrator and my voice, the Kraang and Traag noticed our presence. The Kraang aimed their blasters at us and began firing.

"Anyone got a Plan B?" Raph asked.

Traag snuck up from behind us. We noticed him and yelped. He destroyed the platform, we were on, and we fell to the floor. And, just like that, we were in battle with the Kraang. So much for our plan running astray. Terrific.

* * *

 _ ***Meanwhile, in the Cathedral...***_

 **Samantha's POV.**

Xever, Bradford and I waiting in Father's throne room, for the Turtles and Lizard's master to come for April. April was struggling to get free from the chain, she was bound to. I put my hood over my head. It was out of instinct.

"So how good is this so-called ninja master anyway?" Xever asked Bradford.

"One of the best. He trained in the same ninja clan as Master Shredder. They used to be like brothers, until Hamato Yoshi betrayed him. Let me put it to you this way. He's as skilled as Master Shredder, But he doesn't have the stomach to finish the fight." Bradford answered and explained.

I stayed quiet and went into thought. 'Hamato Yoshi.' Every time I hear that name, my heart burns with rage. Why does that name make me feel so angry? Not at the man, at Father. Why would I be angry at Father? He's done nothing to hurt me.

I shook my head at the thought and returned to the task at hand. It's probably just something I ate before this.

* * *

 _ ***Back at TCRI...***_

 **Eleanor's POV.**

The boys and I were still taking down the Kraang. Leo was having trouble with Traag, as the disintegrator kept taking time to charge up for its next shot. Leo was able to shoot off Traag's leg and dodged the lava barf.

"Donnie, how's that 'Plan B' coming?" Leo asked Donnie.

"I'm thinking." Donnie answered.

"Think faster." Leo replied, shooting off another piece of Traag.

An idea came to me, "Leo, I think I can hack into the Kraang system, to shut down the force-field. But, I'm gonna need time!" I told Leo. One of Traag's arms fell on to the Kraangdroids, that tried to sneak up behind me.

"Great, do that." Leo told me.

I nodded and made my way to the Kraang's main terminal, taking out any Kraang that tried to stop me. I plugged my T-Phone into the terminal, and started downloading a virus into its systems.

* * *

 _ ***Back at the Cathedral...***_

 **Samantha's POV.**

It was quiet for a while. April was still fighting the chains, but I didn't mind it. Then, there was the sound of fighting, coming from the other side of the door.

"What was that?" I asked.

Bradford got into an offensive stance, "He's here."

Xever and I did the same. The door opened to reveal one of our Foot Soldiers. He looked like he got beaten up and very badly. He fell to the ground and tried to reach for us. But, he was dragged into the darkness of the other room.

As the Foot Soldier disappeared, a man in a hooded kimono appeared behind us. He must be Hamato Yoshi, the Lizard's uncle. Bradford was the first to attack. Yoshi was able to dodge Bradford's attacks with ease, and delivered a flying kick.

Xever was next. Xever used his skills with Capoeira. But, Yoshi was able keep his distance. Bradford got back to his feet and dashed after Yoshi. Xever and Bradford jumped toward him, but Yoshi moved out of the way, and Xever kicked Bradford in the... _*Giggles*_ I'm not gonna say.

Bradford fell, and Yoshi grabbed Xever's tail. Xever tried to bite Yoshi, but moved and Xever bit his own tail. Thank goodness he is immune to his own venom. Yoshi took this opportunity and threw Xever into the water.

Xever and Bradford swam and ran off, and it was only me left. I drew out my kamas and aimed to attack the hooded man, who killed my family. I let the anger, that I've been feeling all day, control my actions.

* * *

 **Master Splinter's POV.**

The hooded, arctic fox attacked me with her kamas, but she was letting her anger control her actions. I dodged and blocked her attacks with ease. As she prepared to strike, I grabbed the fox's kamas and knocked them away from her hands, and I knocked her back with a palm strike.

The hood flew off the fox's face, I saw her eyes. Light blue, like the sky after a fierce storm. I know those eyes. My eldest niece had eyes of the same color. Could it be...?

"Samantha?" I recognized.

As a reply, the fox yelled and tried to attack me with her claws. I grabbed her hands and monkey-flipped her toward the door. Samantha got back to her feet, with her hand over her abdomen, and looked at me. She opened the door and left the room.

With everything quiet, I ran over to April, who was sitting on the stairs, bound by a chain.

"April, it is me. Do not make a sound. I will have you out in a moment." I assured April.

I reached for her shackles, but my hands went straight through them. April looked at me with a smile and vanished. She was another hologram? " **ホント** (Honto/Really/What)?" I gasped, as April disappeared and another robot appeared behind her and it reached to attack me.

I jumped away from the robot and threw three shuriken stars at it. The third star hit its head and it exploded on collision. I landed in the center of the room, and heard Saki chuckling.

"Hamato Yoshi. I am so glad you accepted my invitation." I heard Oroku Saki speak, with his voice coming from everywhere.

Suddenly, the room's walls lit up with flames.

"What have you done with April?" I asked.

"Now that you are here, Miss O'Neil is no longer any use to me. I gave her to my new friends, the Kraang." Saki answered.

He gave April to the Kraang? He's put the entire world in jeopardy, because of his vendetta against me! Has he truly gone mad?!

"You fool!" I shouted, "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

Out of nowhere, I was attacked and thrown a few feet toward the door.

"Yes. I took your family away, and now I can put an end to you, once and for all." Shredder answered, coming from behind me.

I removed my hood and showed him my face. Showing him what his actions result to.

Saki gasped, "What? A rat?" He chuckled, "I see you are as hideous as those turtles, and your niece, that surround you." I closed my eyes, trying to control my anger, as Saki continued, "As well as your dear younger sister. She gave me the exact look, when she drew her last breath." My blood passed the boiling point at the mention of my beloved sister, Leiko. "How fitting. You are a rat, who has been caught in my trap." Saki finished.

"Look closely at this face, Shredder. For it is the last thing you'll ever see!" I told Shredder, as we locked into battle.

* * *

 _ ***Back at TCRI...***_

 **Eleanor's POV.**

Things were taking longer than they should. Leo was still trying to take down Traag. Donnie, Mikey and Raph were still taking out the Kraang. And my virus was taking longer to shut down the Kraang system. It seemed to be having trouble finding the right data stream. This terminal was more complicated than I thought.

"Come on, come on!" Leo begged, as the disintegrator charged up again. He shot Traag's other arm, and alerted us, "This thing's running out of juice."

"And, guys, look!" Mikey shouted, as he pointed to the portal, "The portal!"

The portal's terminals started to point upward.

"Whatever's coming through the portal is gonna be here soon." Leo informed us.

The virus was half-way through the data stream. It was still taking longer than I expected.

Raph landed just above me and asked, "When's that force-field coming down, Ellie?"

"Taking longer than it should." I answered, then I looked over and called, "Raph, look out!"

Before Raph could react, a Kraangdroid shot him in the shell. Raph recovered, saw the droid that shot him, and went full-on hot-head on it. He threw weapons at the droid, tackled it down and threw it to the ground. Whoa. Remind me to never get Raph that angry.

Leo was still having trouble with Traag. The disintegrator was charging, and Leo was running out of options. Two Kraang, in cruisers, flew in to attack Leo. But, Leo took them out. He kicked one of them into Traag's face, giving him leverage. He jumped up and fired the disintegrator point-blank into Traag's chest.

Traag fell into pieces, apart from its head and torso. After a few seconds of recovering from the blast, Traag started putting itself back together again.

"Uh, I forgot he could do that." Mikey noted.

"Not good." Leo grimaced, checking the energy of the disintegrator.

"Guys, I think I got it." I shouted, as my virus finally made it through the data stream.

The terminal sparked in response, and the force-field around the portal shut down. Giving us the opportunity to shoot it down.

Donnie cheered, "Woohoo!" Then he threw his arms around me, "All hail Ellie!"

However, the celebration was cut short, as the portal fired an energy beam into the sky. From the sky, a large, orb-like space ship started to emerge. Even by its appearance, it meant bad news to Earth. From the ship, I could sense a large aura of authority. That's not good.

"Holy giant floating shippy-ship." Mikey gasped.

The boys and I grouped up. The remaining Kraangdroids, and Traag, had us cornered. The droids aimed their blasters, and readied to finish us off.

"Leo, do the zippy-zappy thing now!" Mikey told Leo.

"Come on, baby. Come on, baby. Come on, baby!" Leo begged the disintegrator. The disintegrator responded, fully charged. Leo smiled, "Yes! Say good night, Kraang."

He aimed the weapon at the portal, but, just as the weapon was about to fire, it died out and went up in smoke.

"What the heck happened?" Donnie asked, as Leo dropped the disintegrator.

"I think the batteries died." Leo answered.

"And we'll be joining 'em, unless someone thinks of something!" Raph shouted, as he protected us from the Kraang's barrage of laser-fire.

The Kraang ship continued to emerge out of the clouds, getting larger by the second. And Traag has just finish putting itself back together.

"What's Plan C, Leo?" I asked our leader.

Leo looked at Donnie, "Donnie, what would happen, if I ruptured the power cell?"

"The whole place would go up." Donnie answered, then shouted, "With us in it!"

Leo thought for a second, then drew one of his katanas, "Go!"

My heart stopped, as I gasped, "Whoa, Leo. You're not thinking what I think you're thinking!"

As a reply, Leo dashed off, taking down the Kraangdroids.

"He's thinking it!" Donnie shouted. He grabbed my hand, and we left Leo to do what he had to do.

Donnie, Raph, Mikey and I exit TCRI, put on our wings, and put some distance between TCRI and us. After a few seconds of waiting, the entire top third of the TCRI building went up in smoke and debris. I narrowed my eyes and saw something falling out of the smoke.

"Leo!" I shouted, recognizing the falling object. Raph flew down toward the falling turtle.

He was able to catch Leo, before he hit the ground, "Gotcha!" Then he started flying over the rooftops, "Yeah! In your face, gravity!"

Leo sighed in relief, as the rest of us flew down to meet up, "Oh, thanks, Raph."

Raph smiled, "Anytime, buddy."

"I can't believe it. We saved the world." Donnie gasped in astonishment.

"Yeah!" Mikey cheered, then asked, "That wasn't so hard, was it?"

However, again, our celebration was cut short. The Kraang ship, that emerged from the portal, was fully on Earth, and flew in between the boys and myself. The boys and I flew around the ship, trying to get some distance between us and the ship.

"Guys, we're not out yet." I grimaced, as we looked at the ship's 'main eye'.

"I gotta stop saying stuff like that." Mikey sighed.

This is when the true battle starts.

 **To Be Continued...**


	26. ShowDown Prt 2

Showdown Prt 2.

 **Eleanor's POV.**

 _Alright. I might need to back up a bit. The Turtles and I have discovered that the Kraang have started their true invasion of Earth. So, we came up with a plan to take down the Kraang and destroy the portal, at TCRI. However, the plan kind of blew up in our faces._

 _Instead we had to improvize. And that kinda worked, but our secret weapon ran out of juice. As a Plan C, Leo decided to tell us to escape the base, as he stayed behind to rupture the power cell, that powered the portal. He succeeded, but didn't plan ahead._

 _Luckily, Raph was able to rescue him from the deadly fall. However, the Kraang's main ship, the Technodrome, has arrived on Earth, and the biggest battle of our lives has just begun. And it's only gonna get worse from here-on out._

 _Can you say, 'Freakiest day ever'? Cause I think I just did._

Anywho, now the boys and I are trying to keep our distance from the giant sphere-ship. Every human in New York could see it, and were staring it.

"I think I speak for all of us when I say..." Mikey said, the he started screaming in panic.

"What the heck is that thing?" Raph asked.

"It's the end of the world!" Leo answered.

"Actually, it's just the end of humanity's reign, as the planet's dominant life form." Donnie corrected, the he continued, "You know, like when the dinosaurs-"

Leo cut him off, "Now? Really? Y-you're going to do this now?"

"Well, excuse me, but it's how I deal with stress!" Donnie answered in a shout.

"Well, maybe it doesn't have weapons." Raph said, trying to be optimistic. Then he asked, "Does it look like it has weapons?"

I looked and saw that the sphere was aiming its antennea at us. Lasers fired, trying to take us out of the air.

"I think it has weapons!" I shouted.

The sphere continued to fire its lasers at us. The boys and I tried our best to dodge the barrage. But Mikey got unlucky and accidently collided with Donnie. Both Donnie and Mikey lost control, and they flew out of control.

"Donnie! Mikey!" Leo called, as the younger brothers fell on the rooftop of an apartment building.

"What now?" Raph asked.

Before Leo can answer, the lasers fired at them. Raph tried his best to stir clear, but a laser was lucky and caught his right wing. Raph lost control and he and Leo fell toward a nearby alley.

"Raph! Leo!" I cried. But, the sphere turned its barrage of laser-fire at me.

I dodged the barrage, and tried to release powerful psionic sonic waves at the 'main eye' of the sphere. I heard a scream, but the eye fired the waves back at me. I lost control of my flying, and I crashed, head-first, into the curb of the alley, near Leo. That went well...

I heard moaning, as I recovered from the crash. Raph was getting out of a dumpster, and Leo was struggling to sit up from falling on a street-matress.

Donnie and Mikey arrived to check on us. "Are you guys all right?" Donnie asked.

"Been better." Raph answered, as Leo and I sat up, rubbing our heads.

"That's gonna hurt in the morning..." I said, rubbing my neck.

The sphere floated over our heads, as the citizens ran around in a panic.

"What do we do now?" Donnie asked.

"We need to talk to Splinter. Come on." Leo told us. We nodded in agreement, and made our way back to the Lair.

Once we arrived at the Lair, by the toll gates, the entire area was completely empty. No sign of April, Kirby or Uncle Splinter anywhere. But, I could still sense an aura present. It's faint, but still noticable.

"Hello? Sensei?" Leo called, as he entered the Lair.

"April?" Donnie called, following Leo.

" **伯父さん** (Oji-san/Uncle)! Can you hear me?" I called, as I entered.

"Spike?" Raph cried, as he entered.

Spike appeared from behind a cushion on the couch. Raph sighed in relief, and put Spike on his shoulder, "Don't scare me like that, buddy."

I closed my eyes, and started concentrating on the aura-trails from within the Lair. I narrowed my thoughts to the most recent. Something flared and made me open my eyes and narrow them with caution.

"Keep your guard up, guys. I sense something off." I warned the boys.

Mikey walked off, into the Dojo. As he entered, he called, "Anyone in here?"

My scales tensed, as I felt a change in the atmosphere. I dashed into the Dojo, drew out one of my eskrima sticks, and blocked an attack from Mikey's attacker. Mikey looked back and saw what happened.

"Whoa, dude!" He shouted.

I looked at the attacker's face and saw it was Kirby. He hardened his stare, as I pushed him away. Kirby turned his attention to me, and tried to attack me with a bamboo stick.

Leo, Raph and Donnie heard Mikey's shouted, arrived into the Dojo, and saw what was going on.

"Hey!" Leo shouted, as he, Raph and Donnie surprised Kirby and pinned him to the ground.

"What the heck is going on?" Raph asked.

"Guys, check this out." Donnie alerted us. He lowered Kirby's collor, and we saw a strange device on the back of Kirby's neck.

Being the one with a swift and delicate touch, I grabbed the device and pulled it off Kirby's neck. Kirby's aura returned to normal, and he blacked out.

The boys and I carried Kirby to the Lounge, so he could recover, and I gave Donnie the device. So, he could see what it was.

"So, what is it?" Leo asked.

"I think, it's a mind control device." Donnie answered.

Raph took the device from Donnie, "Really?" He grabbed Mikey and tried to put the device on the back of his neck.

Mikey struggled against Raph's grip, "No, stop it, stop it!"

Raph chuckled. But, Leo scolded, "Raph."

Then, the boys and I heard groaning. We looked over and saw Kirby was waking up. We walked over to check on him.

"Mr. O'Neil? Are you okay?" Donnie asked.

"I've done something terrible." Kirby answered with an apologetic face.

"It's alright. It wasn't your fault." I assured, placing my hand over his shoulder, "Can you tell us what happened?"

"It appears the Kraang have formed an alliance with your enemy, Shredder." Kirby explained, then added, "That's not all. I fear the Shredder has handed April over to the Kraang."

"Shredder kidnapped April?" Donnie exclaimed.

"Sensei must have gone after her." Raph summarized.

"Where is April now?" I asked.

"They're taking her to the Technodrome." Kirby answered.

"The what?" Raph asked.

We heard noises coming from the tv. Mikey turned on the tv, and the news channel was on. Apart from Joan Grody, a male, Afro-Brazilian reporter was on the scene.

"Carlos Chang O'Brien Gambe here. Pandemonium in the streets, as a 'techno-terror-dome' hovers over downtown." The reporter informed, as the citizens ran past him.

"Dudes, this is getting freakier by the minute." Mikey tols us, as he pointed to the tv.

"We just escaped that freaky sphere." Raph pointed out, then he asked, "And now we gotta break into it?"

"In a matter of hours the world we once knew will be gone. The Kraang want April to help in their conquest of Earth." Kirby informed us.

"Then, we have no time to lose!" Donnie shouted.

Leo nodded, "Let's save the world from the Technodrome."

With that, the boys and I dashed out of the Lair, and made our way to the streets of New York. I couldn't help but think about the aura I sensed within the Technodrome. It was large, full of authority. Like a queen bee feel.

"What's wrong, Ellie? You've been awfully quiet as of late." Donnie asked me, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I assured him with a smile, "I'm fine, Donnie. I was just thinking."

"What about?" Raph asked.

"I sensed a Kraang-like aura, coming from inside the Technodrome. It felt like a queen bee. I think it's the Kraang leader." I answered.

The boys and I arrived to the surface, and the entire city was in utter chaos. The Technodome was spawning pods, and were picking up the citizens one-by-one.

The boys and I were able to hide from plain sight, and made our way to an available pod, that was hovering above a group of three over-turned cars, and eight Kraangdroids. I had to keep my head low, because two of the cars were ablaze.

"We gotta get in one of those pods." Leo told us.

"But how?" Donnie asked, then pointed out, "There are eight Kraangdroids between us and there."

"We could create a diversion." I suggested.

"Excuse me, how many did you say there were?" Raph asked.

"Eight." Leo answered.

"We could all dress up like robots. Sneak in." Mikey suggested.

Leo, Donnie and I looked at him with a slight confused expression.

"Or I could try to override their security codes by-" Donnie spoke up, then he was cut off by the sound of fighting.

Leo, Mikey and Donnie looked and saw that Raph had already taken down the Kraangdroids and the pod was free for the taking.

"Or... that... might... work." Leo spoke up.

"Raph took out the Kraangdroids, didn't he?" I asked.

"Yup." Donnie answered in a simple tone. Then he used his left hand to cover my eyes, and grabbed my left hand with his right hand, "Keep hold of my hand, Elle."

I nodded in understanding and kept hold of Donnie's hand.

"Let's go." Leo told us.

Mikey, Donnie and I followed Leo into the pod. The pod automaticly closed and took us into the Technodrome. Donnie removed his hand from my eyes, so I could see the inside of the Technodrome. It looked similar to the other Kraang facilities. The other pods were being taken to other corridors of the Kraang ship.

"Okay, guys, this is it. On three." Leo told us, as we prepared to exit the pod, "One, two, three."

Raph forced the pod open, and the boys and I jumped out. Instead of landing on the ground, we were floating in mid-air. This caught us by surprise and we had trouble trying to keep ourselves balanced.

"What the heck's going on?" Raph asked.

"I think the Kraang forgot to pay their gravity bill!" Mikey answered.

One of the pod-selectors picked up Mikey and sucked him into the hall. Before we could react, Mikey appeared out of another hall, behind us.

"It appears the Kraang have generated anti-gravitons." Donnie explained.

"Is there any way for you to generate anti-anti-gravitons?" Leo asked.

"You mean gravitons?" Donnie and I asked in unison.

"Yes." Leo answered.

"No." Donnie and I replied again.

Mikey held his stomach, "Guys, I'm gonna throw up. Or down. Or maybe sideways. But one thing's for sure. I'm majorly gonna throw."

Another pod floated toward us and caught Mikey with it.

"We still have a job to do, so let's go." Leo told us.

The rest of us grabbed on to the pod, and we rode it down the hallway, hiding from any Kraang that might be patrolling. Another pod-selector grabbed our pod, and dragged into the selected hallway. The boys and I let go of the pod, and hid from the patroling Kraang.

"Yo, zero-g is banging. The Kraang should turn this into a carnival ride." Mikey whispered with a smile, and floating up-side down.

"Uh, I think they're more interested in using it to destroy the Earth." Leo reminded Mikey.

"It could do both." Mikey suggested.

I shook my head and smiled, "Okay. Someone's been floating up-side down for too long."

I helped Mikey turn right-side up, then we heard a familiar scream, coming from somewhere near us. I had to hold my head for a second. An aura just flared up, giving me a migraine.

"It's April!" Donnie shouted.

"Can you say that a little louder? I don't think the entire Technodrome heard you." Raph asked in a sarcastic tone, as cameras saw us, and a group of Kraang showed up. Raph looked and sighed, "Never mind. They did."

We drew out our weapons and locked into battle. Fighting the Kraang in zero-gravity was proven to be a bit tricky, but we were able to get it to work on our side. As we took out the Kraang, I sensed another flare. But, this time it was being controlled by an outside source.

"Guys, I'm sensing a large flare in April's aura." I told the boys, as an low-sounding alarm sounded.

"That can't be good." Leo noted.

And we decided to pick up the pace. With a little teamwork, the boys and I were able to take out the Kraang at a faster time, and with ease. Once the Kraang were taken out, we heard April scream again, along with an evil laugh.

Raph removed a panel, and we entered through it. The boys and I followed the vent, and it lead to a large room, with April strapped to a table, with a helmet on her head. And a 25 foot big Kraang with three gems on its forehead, in a V-formation. The Kraang was the source of the queen bee aura. It must be the leader. The room was energizing with psychic, Kraang-like energy. And it was coming from April.

"Witness the end of your kind." The Kraang smiled to April, in a female voice.

"Not if we can help it." Leo spoke up, catching the Kraang's attention.

The Kraang saw us and gasped, "The Turtles and the Lizard?" Then she snarled, "Kraang will not be stopped by pathetic Mutants."

"At least we're not stupid aliens." Mikey retorted.

Leo looked at Raph, "Raph, quick."

Raph dived toward the Kraang, and kicked her in the face. Good thing there was no zero-gravity in the room. Which meant Raph was able to put his weight into the kick.

Raph landed, the looked at me, "Ellie!"

I nodded, and looked at the Kraang. I jumped into the air, to meet the Kraang's eyes, "Let's try this again. But more up-close and personal!" I released powerful waves of psionic energy at the Kraang.

She started screaming in pain upon impact. As I continued to attack, Donnie was able to release April from the table and the helmet. Kraang-Prime, we should call her, blacked out from my attack. I withdrew the attack and smiled.

Suddenly, I started to feel drained and light-headed. Darkness began to cloud my vision, as I couldn't feel my body anymore. I closed my eyes and blacked out.

* * *

 **Leonardo's POV.**

Donnie had just freed April from the Kraang's clutches. The Kraang blacked out from Ellie's attack, and Ellie looked like she was about to black out as well. She closed her eyes, and she fell. Oh no...

I dashed over and caught Ellie, in bridal style, before she hit the floor. Her body felt warm, and I could hear her heart still beating. She was still alive. Thank goodness. She's never allowed to do that again.

April regained consciousness, and smiled at Donnie, "You're my hero."

Donnie blushed and chuckled at April.

However, the moment was broken as Raph spoke up, "Hey, chuckles. We gotta get out of here."

I nodded in agreement, and placed Ellie on to my shell, "Let's go."

April hopped on to Donnie's shell, and made our escape out of the Technodrome. However, the escape was not gonna be easy. The other Kraang were aware of our presence, and began attacking us. Raph and Mikey had to take out the interdimensional aliens, as Donnie and I were carrying two, unconscious girls on our shells.

We entered a hallway, that seemed the only way out was up. Inside were more Kraang and Kraangdroids. Mikey and Raph were able to make easy work taking them out. Raph kicked a Kraang down to the ground floor, and its cruiser exploded. The explosion caused the Technodrome to tip over, and the way up became the way ahead.

"Leo, I have a question." Mikey shouted over to me, as we dodged a Kraangdroid laser-fire.

"Can it wait?" I asked.

"Not really." He answered, then he asked, "Did we beat that big Kraang thingie?"

"Yes, Mikey. We did." I answered.

"Okay. Then why is it following us?" Mikey shouted.

My brothers and I stopped and turned to look behind us. To our surprise, Mikey was right. The big Kraang, we encountered, was making her way toward us in a large robot. The Kraang wasn't done with us yet.

Raph tried shaking Ellie awake, "Ellie? Now would be a good time to go all 'Mother Nature'."

Now was not a good time to wait for Ellie to respond. The Kraang was heading toward us. We had to run. The further we ran, the closer the Kraang got to us. Once it was close enough, the Kraang started firing lasers at us.

I didn't notice that Ellie opened her eyes, but I felt a large gust of wind blow toward us, from the exit. But it didn't harm myself or my brothers. But it did cause the Kraang to fall back a few feet.

I looked over my shoulder and saw Ellie did have her eyes open, and they were just like last time this happened; Glowing cyan irises with black sclera. The markings returned as well.

"Everybody, there's one last escape pod up ahead." Donnie alerted us.

We made our way to the escape pod. Ellie raised her hand to the Kraang, and the Kraang was forcefully pushed back. Then she fell unconscious again. This time, Mikey was accidently caught in the cross-fire and fell into one of the gaps. I turned and noticed the Kraang was going to finish Mikey off with laser blast.

I got Ellie off my shell, and gave her to Raph, "Raph, take Ellie." I drew my katana and dashed toward just above the laser-blaster of the robot, "Get away from my brother!"

I cut the mechanism from the robot, and it fell into the gap, missing Mikey. I looked into the gap and reached my hand out to my youngest brother, "Hurry, Mikey."

Mikey gave me his kusarigama, and I pulled up. However, the Kraang wasn't gonna give up that easily. She looked up to us, "There's nowhere for you to run, Mutants."

Mikey, Ellie, Raph, April and Donnie made their way into the escape pod. I stayed out and glared at the Kraang.

I could hear Ellie regain consciousness, "Leo?" Then she noticed me outside of the pod, and called, "Leo!"

"All of you will die here!" The Kraang told my family.

I stared at the Kraang. There was no way all of us will be able to escape the Technodrome. One of us has to stay behind and hold the Kraang back, so the rest of us can get out alive.

I could hear Master Splinter's speak in my mind, " _ **With the world at stake, The only thing of importance is that you complete your mission. No matter what you have to sacrifice. Or who.**_ "

My decision was clear. I knew what I had to do.

* * *

 **Eleanor's POV.**

Leo used Mikey's kusarigama to hold Kraang-Prime back. What was going on in his mind? It's like he's trying to... Oh no. My heart hit my stomach at the thought. No! Not again!

"Leo!" I cried.

"Go. Get out of here now!" Leo shouted, as he held Kraang-Prime back.

"What are you talking about?" Raph asked.

"Leo, you can't do this. Not you too!" I shouted.

"Go!" Leo insisted. Kraang-Prime continued to fight back against the chain. "I can't hold it back any longer." Leo shouted.

"Leo!" I shouted, about to jump out of the pod, but Raph held me back.

"We gotta go now!" Donnie said, as the pod closed and it floated toward the exit.

The kusarigama chain snapped and Kraang-Prime fell toward us. Luckily we were to far to make a collision. I fought out of Raph's grip and stared out of the glass with an aching heart, "Leonardo!"

The escape pod flew out of the Technodrome and into the water of the ocean. We sank only a few feet deep, until the pod floated to the surface.

The pod opened and Donnie gasped in astonishment, "I can't believe it. We made it."

Our celebration was cut short, as we saw the Technodrome fall into the water and began to sink.

"Leo. No!" Mikey cried, as the drome sank to the bottom of the sea floor. "I can't believe he's gone." Mikey gasped in a sad tone.

April dug her head into Donnie's chest, fighting tears.

"Leo." I sighed. My heart felt like it was being squeezed like a juice out of an orange. I should've told him there and then how I felt about him. Now, he's gone. I tried to fight back the tears, but they fell anyway.

Raph sat down with a small sulk, "I gave him nothing but a hard time. If I had it to do over again, I'd definitely be nicer."

"Really?" A familiar voice asked.

"Really." Raph answered.

Then, my tears stopped as I recognized the voice, and sensed the aura with it, "Leo?" I looked over past Raph and saw a blue-masked turtle swimming toward the pod. I smiled, "Leo!"

The boys and April looked and saw Leo as well. Leo smiled and chuckled at Raph.

"Leo, you dork. You scared the heck out of us." Raph shouted, as he and Donnie helped Leo out of the water.

Leo climbed into the pod, and we all got into a big group hug, and we all cheered, "We won!" "Oh, man, I love you, bros."

The other pods of the Technodrome rose out of the water. Everyone that was inside was unharmed and cheered in relief.

I still can't believe what we did today. We all saved the world from a Kraang invasion, and no one knew it was us. Look at me, I'm shaking like a leaf.

* * *

 _ ***Later, that night. Back in the Lair...***_

"Who saved the world?" Mikey asked.

"We saved the world!" Raph, Leo, Donnie and I answered.

"I said 'who saved the world'?" Mikey asked again.

"We saved the world!" We answered again.

"I said-" Mikey was about to ask again.

Raph cut him off, "Stop asking!"

"We saved the world." Mikey answered, twiddling his fingers.

Raph threw the pizza bax at his face. Then the boys celebrated with eating pizza. I felt some sadness wash over my joy. I looked and saw Uncle Splinter walking toward the Dojo. He had his head hung low. I walked followed him and found him in the Dojo, staring at his family portrait.

" **伯父さん** (Oji-san/Uncle)? Is everything alright?" I asked my uncle.

"Everything is fine, Eleanor." He answered. His aura turned dark.

I shook my head, "Don't lie to me. I know when you-" I reached for his hand, to comfort him.

But, the moment my fingers touched his, I saw Uncle Splinter fighting Shredder inside the Cathedral. Then Karai stepped in. Splinter couldn't fight her, so he fled. The look on his face. Realization and an aching pain. He knows.

I withdrew my hand and gasped, "You found out Karai is Miwa, didn't you?"

Uncle Splinter turned to me, "You knew?" I sheepishly nodded my head. "Why did you not tell me?" He asked.

"I-I didn't know, until the Kraang Stealth Ship incident. I wanted to, I felt like it would've broken your heart, if I told you sooner." I explained myself. I took hold of Uncle Splinter's hands, "I'm so sorry, **伯父さん**."

Uncle Splinter smiled at me and pulled me into a hug. He has forgiven me, and understood why I didn't say anything. I was protecting my family from heart-break.

April entered the Dojo and looked at Uncle Splinter, "Sensei, I want to apologize, for the way I spoke to you earlier."

Splinter released the hug, and looked at April, "No need. You spoke what was in your heart. I am just relieved that you made it home safely."

The Leo entered the Dojo, "What's wrong, Sensei?"

"I learned some things from the Shredder." Splinter answered in a sad tone. I gave him a look of sympathy, but I kept quiet.

"Like what?" Leo asked.

Splinter shook his head, "That's for another time, Leonardo." Then he smiled, "Tonight is for celebration. After all, it is not everyday you make the world safe from an alien invasion."

The others entered the Dojo as well. Mikey put his arm over Leo's shoulder and smiled, "You got that right." Then he looked at his brothers, "Everybody, who saved the world?"

"Mikey." His brothers and I sighed.

Mikey sighed, then we all cheered, "We saved the world!"

Mikey smiled, "Yeah!"

Then, our dance party started. Everyone was dancing. Donnie danced with April. Then Leo with Raph. And I danced with Mikey. Then, we reached the solo dances. April was the first. Donnie could help but stare.

Hehehe. That love-struck turtle. It's adorable.

Then it was Raph's turn. He did some breakdancing, that was pretty slick. Then it was Mikey's turn. With a smoke bomb, he started doing his version of the Robot. Donnie and Metalhead joined him. Then it was my turn. I was a little unsure, until Leo pulled me into the center of the stage.

I started dancing, the same way I used to perform on the streets, and I could hear clapping. But, I didn't noticed Leo and Raph staring at me. Then, Leo snapped out of his trance and it was his turn.

As Leo was dancing, a wave of concern came over me. We just saved the world from Kraang-Prime. But, that doesn't mean the Kraang will admit defeat and return to Dimension X. Also, Karai knows who Uncle Splinter is in Shredder's eyes. Now the vendetta has become more than just personal.

I just hope the boys and I are ready for the new challenges that await us from above and below...


End file.
